


The Pirate Trap

by Lin_ifyouplease



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - The Parent Trap Fusion, Daddy!Killian, F/M, Family Feels, Future Fic, Inspired by a Movie, Other, captain swan parents, cs future
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-28
Updated: 2016-05-15
Packaged: 2018-05-29 14:51:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 26,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6380650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lin_ifyouplease/pseuds/Lin_ifyouplease
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lizzie Jones has never met her mother. Leia Swan has never met her father. After a chance encounter during a fencing match at Summer Camp, these two girls discover they are the identical twin daughters of the divorced. Emma Swan and Killian Jones. The suave Lizzie and clever Leia stage an identity swap. If it works, they could bring their whole family back together. BASED ON THE 1998 MOVIE "THE PARENT TRAP"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I'm Lin and this is my inaugural AO3 story. You can find this same story in-progress on my FF account (lin-ifyouplease), but I thought I'd move it over here just to reach out to a different audience. I hope you guys enjoy it! 
> 
> Here's some clarification on what's going on: pretend that after the false reality in 4x23, they found a way to save Rumple and everything went back to normal. No Dark Swan, no Dark Captain Swan, no death of Killian, none of that. Everything else will be explained in due time.
> 
> Lizzie and Leia both look like Lucy Hale, if that makes it any clearer for you.
> 
> Enjoy!

The last summer before senior year. The last time things will ever seem normal. This was normally the time in a young teenaged girl's life when she wants to get out of the house and do something exciting that will make her remember this summer for the rest of her young life. One day, she would look back on this time and sigh, remembering it as the best time she ever had as a teenager. That was why most girls when to sleep-away camp. This particular camp was popular for teens who lived in between New York City and Boston, Massachusetts. It was called Camp Walden for Boys and Girls. It's basically the ideal place for girls who crave male attention. That's the joke Leia Swan liked to make whenever she met new people on the bus.

The big yellow school busses all parked in front of the Camp Walden arch way, letting out tons and tons of kids from ages 15-17. Most of them were at least 17 years old by now. Leia was about to be 18 in October, which made her feel older than the rest of them, since they had all just turned 17. Not only is Leia from New York, but she's the oldest and the wisest. At least that's what she told herself to keep her confidence up high when she off the bus in a small part of the woods next to the ocean.

The first thing she heard when she hit the dirt with her old sneakers was to grab her duffle bag. By the time she finally found it among the 4,000 other duffle bags, it was buried underneath a mountain of bags.

"Ugh! Really?" Leia groaned, rubbing her forehead, then reaching for the black handle of her yellow bag, "Okay, Swan. You got this."

Leia started tugging at the bag as hard as she could, keeping her feet planted on the ground and her legs strong. With one big hard tug, the bag came out and Leia sighed with contempt. A boy with glasses was standing there with his jaw hanging open.

"You enjoying the view?" Leia asked, raising an eyebrow in judgment.

"Yeah," the boy nodded, still in shock, "I've never seen anyone pull out a bag that fast before. Everybody struggles with it."

"I'm not everybody," she said, flipping her brown hair over her shoulder.

"Then who are you?" he asked.

"Leia."

"Like the Star Wars princess?"

"My mom's a big fan."

"Awesome. Hey, you're gonna love my sister. She's as tough as nails and can whip anyone's butt at trivia on Spielberg movies."

"Impressive," Leia nodded, "Any chance either of you play Big Six?"

"What's that?" the boy frowned.

"You've never played Big Six?" Leia asked, now her jaw hitting the floor, "My mom, brother, and I play it literally all the time. You just need two dice and some stuff to use as chips. I have to teach you… um…"

"Travis," the boy said, "Although now I kinda wish my name was Han…"

Leia chuckled a bit and picked up her bag and beginning to walk away, Travis quickly following behind her. "So what cabin does your sister live in?"

"Rosie?" Travis asked, "She lives in cabin 6."

"Sweet! That's my cabin. Maybe we can all hang out sometime-."

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of husting teenagers running away from another bus that was arriving. Leia and Travis laughed and started to run towards the cabins, mocking the kids who looked like they didn't know what to do with themselves now that a bus was interrupting their conversations.

Behind that bus that stopped was a little car driven by a rugged man with a beard and a brown-haired girl in the seat next to him. When he stopped the car, the girl stepped out of the passenger seat wearing a black leather vest, a tight white shirt, blue jean shorts, and hiking shoes she had just bought for the occasion.

"Well… here we are," Robin, the man driving the car, said while examining the terrain, "Camp Walden for teenagers with hypo-sex drives."

"Very funny, Robin," Lizzie Jones said with her slight London-sounding accent, "You know you love the picture-esque look of it."

"That's your father talking," Robin said, opening the trunk and pulling out Lizzie's duffle bag, "The forest, the sea, this is like his dream vacation. I'm just surprised you didn't take him with you." He suddenly frowned and looked down at the bag he was carrying.

Lizzie laughed, "He's not in there, I promise."

Robin shook his head and dropped the bag at Lizzie's feet. "Okay, your father wants me to-."

"Check the list again," Lizzie nodded, "Fine. Fine."

"Your vitamins and minerals," Robin read from the list off his phone.

"Check," Lizzie responded tediously.

"Bathing suit, lip balm, sunblock - which you will actually use since you are not getting any tanner, young lady."

"Fine, check."

"Envelopes, stamps, pictures of your dad, grandpa Brennan, Peter, and your favorite uncle, me."

"I haven't lost any of that since 20 minutes ago when you last checked, now can I go?"

"Ah!" Robin snapped, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a little bag of dice, "You did, however, forget these. Maybe you can finally find someone who can whip your tush at a good game of Big Six."

"Never gonna happen," Lizzie said, catching the bag as he tossed it towards her, "Thanks Robin for driving me."

Robin smiled and hugged Lizzie tightly, "Have fun, sailor."

He kissed the top of her forehead and got into the car, driving away. She waved at him and stood there as she watched the car driving away.

After everyone settled into their cabins and had a meeting with Jeff and Marva, the advisors of the boys and girls on site, everyone gathered into the cafeteria, or the Mess Hall, as returning campers liked to call it. On the walls were trophies that several alumn had won in competitions, like gymnastics, water polo, fencing, basketball, and all kinds of other things. But nobody really cared about those as they sat at the tables, casually flirting with each other and whispering to their friends about who they thought was the cutest at first glance. In line, Leia was next to Travis and his sister Rosie, trying to shove their way through the line to get food. Once they reached the end, the dessert section, Travis was the first one to leave, telling Leia he'd get her a seat at the table. Just as Leia was turning to leave, she was stopped by Marva, the girl's advisor.

"Oh! I'm sorry dear," Marva said sweetly, "I just had to get some of these strawberries before people would eat them all. Would you like me to get you some?"

"No thanks," Leia shrugged, "I'm actually allergic."

"That's too bad," Marva said with a sigh as Leia turned away to follow Travis. Marva turned to the other side, not looking at the other girl's face, "How about you. Would you like a strawberry?"

"I'm sorry, I can't," Lizzie said, raising her eyebrows sadly, "I'm allergic."

"Well yes, you just told me that-." Marva looked up at the girl and blinked several times, remembering that same girl on the other side of her not moments of ago, "Weren't you just over there?"

"No…" Lizzie shook her head.

Marva spun around, checking all corners of the cafeteria, then laughed at herself. "You'll have to excuse me, dear. I'm just a little unwound now that we're back in business. You are Lizzie Jones from Nantucket, are you not?"

"I am," Lizzie said with a grin.

"Excellent! We were hoping to invite you down to the fencing fields later today."

"Really?"

"Yes! On your application, your father couldn't stop talking about your handy work in your fencing classes."

"I play every now and then," Lizzie shrugged, "but if you insist, I shall be down there later."

"Good luck!" Marva clapped.

"I don't need it," Lizzie chuckled.

Turns out, she didn't. Even the way she stood with a mask on her head before the fight even begun, Lizzie struck fear into each and every opponent. Campers from all over would start gathering around the fencing field, watching Lizzie defeat each and every opponent. When she dueled the last guy on the bench, knocking him to the ground with one poke of her sword, he lifted his helmet.

"Good match," he laughed.

Lizzie turned around started to head back to her bench, facing her friends, giggling in excitement.

"Alright!" Jeff called in his megaphone, "Would else would like to challenge the undefeated Lizzie Jones from Nantucket, Massachusetts?"

All the campers started to look at their shoes, avoiding eye contact from Jeff in hopes he wouldn't pick them out from the crowd. Leia happened to be walking by with Travis and Rosie when she heard Jeff's call.

"You oughtta do it," Travis said, patting Leia's shoulder.

"What? Why?" Leia asked, frowning.

"Because you fence," Rosie said, "You told us yourself. Nobody was able to defeat you. Your words, not mine."

"And we know you weren't lying cause you're a terrible liar," Travis teased.

Leia sighed and raised her hand.

"I'll take a whack at it!"

Jeff, not looking up from his clipboard, starting to write down the names of all the past competitors.

"Alright! Here we go!" he called, placing his whistle in his mouth.

Both girls with their backs facing each other, placed their helmets on their heads as their friends help readjust their body gear. When they were ready, they turned around, swords in hand.

"Go Leia!" Travis screamed, which was followed by silence and a look of judgment coming from his younger sister.

"Are you girls ready?" Jeff called.

"Ready!" Lizzie said, throwing up her sword and catching it.

"All set," Leia said, kicking up her sword with her foot and catching it.

They crossed swords and stood in position as the crowd grew silent. The whistle blew and the sound erupted. The cheering burst as the girls started clashing swords. Leia started backing Lizzie up. Lizzie almost didn't know what to do until she saw a tree behind her. She ran forward and pushed herself off the tree, swinging her sword over her opponents head. That didn't stop Leia. She continued to push Lizzie back through the crowd, parting them until they reached the totem pole. Lizzie turned them around so she could push Leia up against it.

"Touche!" Lizzie screamed, thrashing the sword towards Leia, but Leia was too quick and jumped out of the way, hopping over a patch of hay. Lizzie quickly followed as they stood there, clashing swords rapidly, the crowd following after them.

Leia ducked and rolled, standing up and shouting, "Touche!" as she thrashed her sword towards Lizzie, but Lizzie tossed her sword in the air and climbed over the hay, standing on top and catching it in her hand.

"Wow! Nice catch," Leia said.

"Thanks!" Lizzie replied.

Lizzie jumped down onto the porch of one of the cabins as Leia followed up, climbing up the stairs and dueling beside campers who suddenly shrieked in horror. Now Leia had Lizzie backed into the corner of the porch, then shouted again, poking Lizzie in the chest, making her scream as she fell backwards into a large bin of water, making a huge splash.

"Oh my god!" Leia cried, "I'm sorry. Let me help you!"

Leia reached her hand out towards Lizzie to help her up, but Lizzie grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly. "No, let me help you!"  
With one tug, Lizzie pulled Leia into the water as she screamed, landing right next to her. Jeff came running up towards them, followed by Travis, Rosie, and a bunch of other students.

"Why did you do that!?" Leia yelled.

"You pushed me in!" Lizzie whined.

"Me!?" Leia gasped.

"Leia!" Travis called, running towards her and helping her out of the water.

"Well, well!" Jeff cheered along with the crowd, "That was quite a show! Let's give it up for our new champion from New York City, Leia Swan!"

The crowds burst into applause as they started to peel off, whispering and asking each other where on earth they learned to get that skilled with a sword. Lizzie and Leia's friends helped them of their body suits, giving them towels for them to dry off with. Neither of the girls were facing each other, as they were too red with anger to act civil.

"Alright girls, shake hands," Jeff said politely, but neither of them budged, both of them locking their jaws and rolling their eyes, "Come on, girls."

With a huff, they both turned around, helmets off and hair down. When they both caught a glimpse of each other, they could both feel their pulses rising. Their eyes grew wide with shock and disbelief. They both heavily swallowed then reached out to shake hands. When their hands touched, it didn't feel like they were touching another person, but rather, they were touching… themselves. It was by far the weirdest experience either of them had ever felt. The crowd that still remained gasped and started to peel away, except for Travis and Rosie, who still stayed behind Leia. In order to diffuse the tension, Leia suddenly laughed.

"Hey guys, why is everyone staring?" she asked Travis and Rosie.

"Well… don't you see it?" Lizzie asked sincerely, "The resemblance between us?"

"Between us?" Leia asked, "From what I see, your eyes are much closer together than mine, your teeth are a little crooked, and your nose! Blegh. But I wouldn't worry about it too much. Those things can be fixed." Travis snorted. Lizzie was mortified. "Do you wanna know the real difference between us?"

"Is it that I'm better at fencing than you?" Lizzie asked, "Or that I have class and you don't? Take your pick."

"Why you little-."

Both girls took a step closer to each other, but Jeff quickly came in and separated them.

"Okay girls! That's enough!" he looked to the girl on his right, "Leia… I mean, Lizzie?" He shook his head and switched sides, "Lizzie? Leia?" He then blinked several times and took a step back. "Whoa…"

From then on, Lizzie and Leia hated seeing each other. Not only did it feel like they were obligated to love each other (which was nauseating), but they also felt like they had stolen each other's lives. According to both of them, there was only one unique and individual of them and only one could be the better one.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for the response thus far! The whole story will be up rather quickly considering I've already finished it. Updates will be daily.  
> Once again, thanks for the support!

People didn’t stop whispering about the Twin Strangers who met during a big fencing game. There were rumors that they were aliens who lost their memories and it’s only a matter of time before the mothership comes to take them away. Even though it was a joke, that seemed to be the only explanation as to how they looked exactly alike. There was no way they could be sisters. They were too different and hated each other way too much without fear of consequence.  
One of Lizzie’s friends came into her cabin one day and told her that someone was talking about Leia’s game of Big Six she was holding in cabin 6. Yet another thing they had in common, or as Lizzie liked to think, another thing they had to compete for.  
In Cabin 6, Leia was sitting on the floor with dice in front of her while Travis was holding up a flashlight over the game. There were chips on either side of the two players. The objective was that each player rolls. Whomever gets the highest number throws a chip in the middle. Whomever has the loses al their chips wins. Leia was extremely skilled at this game, or any games of chance. She had just destroyed the last competitor in her cabin with a grin on her face and her sunglasses pushing back her curly hair.  
“Anyone else wanna try?” Leia chuckled.  
The cabin door suddenly flung open and shut.  
“I’ll take a whack at it,” Lizzie said, stalking inside the cabin with ferocity in her eyes. If Lizzie was good at anything, it was games of chance. Her father taught her all too well.  
“Sit down, Jones,” Leia said, slamming the chips on the floor.  
“Gladly, Swan,” Lizzie said, sitting down on the other side of her.  
Quickly and effortlessly, the chips from each of the girls started going. The game would have been done in a heartbeat if they hadn’t stopped so often to stare with greed and frustration into each other’s eyes. You could tell Travis was shaking by the way the light was so shaky above them. It came down to the last two chips. Each girl had only one left.  
“How about we make this a little interesting,” Lizzie suggested.  
“How so?” Leia asked.  
“Loser takes a dip in the ocean,” Lizzie dared, “A skinny dip.”  
“Excellent,” Leia grinned, “You’re on.”  
It was Lizzie’s turn now. She took the two dice in her hands and started shaking them, breathing into her hands. The way that these girls were playing were if Lizzie to roll a seven right now, then she would win. If she didn’t, then she would lose and Leia would once again take the title. Lizzie wouldn’t allow that. These kinds of game were her thing. She was practically raised to win these games. With one flick of her wrist, she released the dice onto the ground. The left die said five. The second die said two. Straight seven. Everyone gasped. Leia’s cheeks turned red.  
Travis had decided it was his bedtime at this point, so he quickly left as the girls started to march towards the beach. They all huddled together, minus Rosie, who was standing by herself with a blanket around her, as they watched Leia take her clothes off and march towards the water. As the cold saltwater hit her feet, Leia turned around and saluted to Lizzie, who saluted back to her. Then with a quick dive, Leia jumped into the freezing water. The second they heard the splash, Lizzie and her friends grabbed Leia’s clothes and ran away.  
“Hey! You can’t do that!” Rosie shouted after them.  
When Leia came out of the water, freezing and soaking wet, Rosie panicked and wrapped the blanket around her. Leia turned red with anger when she saw that her clothes were nowhere in sight.  
“Fine,” Leia huffed, “That’s how you want it, Jones? Let the games begin.”  
The fun things about being the daughter of a retired pirate from a magical land is that every now and then you get to do something a little crazy. That’s what Leia thought when she snuck into Cabin 2 while Lizzie was fencing some more. Probably because she was so upset with the defeat, Leia said, laughing to herself. Leia made sure no one else was around before poofing herself up onto the roof of Cabin 2. Then with a flick of her wrist, Lizzie’s bed, clothes, and stuffed animals were all nailed to the roof. Leia got down on her knees and pretending to start hitting a nail with the hammer that appeared in her hand so it looked like she didn’t use magic to do it.  
Moments later, Lizzie came back from fencing alone, sweaty, and tired, as she practically dragged herself towards her cabin. The look on Lizzie’s face when she saw what had happened to her things made Leia burst into laughter from behind the bush where she was hiding. Lizzie was completely thrown off, wondering how on earth Leia could have pulled that off. It was almost like magic. That’s when Lizzie got the idea; whatever she could pull off would be 10x better than any prank any kid here could pull because she has one thing they don’t: magic.  
Late, late in the evening that night, Leia slept in her bed in Cabin 6 with Rosie in the next bed over, who was snoring obnoxiously loud. With her finger, she pointed at Rosie and shaving cream started to come out and land all around her in the form of a powdered wig and apron. With a flick of her wrist, there was honey all over another girl, green jelly on another girl’s head, molasses on the floor, and strings everywhere, each and every one of them a trigger for feathers on top of the fan. Finally, she conjured up herself a bucket and pointed her finger inside, filling it to the brim with chocolate syrup, moving it overtop of the door so Leia would really get a splash when she wakes up.  
Lizzie didn’t even go to sleep that night. She just sat there and waited for the hell to ensue. The morning horn blew and Lizzie peeked her head in through the screen window, watching as Leia got up, gasping at the sight of all the string. Rosie was hyperventilating while other girls shrieked in horror at the disgusting sticky mess all over the cabin. Lizzie grinned and snapped her fingers, causing a water balloon to fall out of nowhere and land at Leia’s feet, making her jump.  
“Ha!” Leia cheered, “Didn’t get me!”  
Lizzie shook her head and snapped her fingers one more time, making a giant water balloon fall from above and land directly on her head.  
“That girl,” Leia screamed, “Is the most horrible, vile creature on the entire planet!”  
Lizzie smiled to herself and wiggled her fingers, watching the sparks fly from them proudly. The only thing that could make this worse…  
“Good morning!” said Marva as she approached Cabin 6 with Jeff by her side.  
“Morning Marva,” Lizzie chimed, then her eyes went wide and she gasped, “Marva! Don’t go in there!”  
Lizzie ran past Marva and slammed herself against the door.  
“What are you doing, dear?” Marva asked, frowning, “We have to do our surprise inspection on Cabin 6.”  
“One of the girls got sick!” Lizzie panicked, lying through her teeth, “Save yourself the pain of looking at it. It’s a big mess. It’s horrible.”  
Her eyes panned up to the bucket of chocolate which was attached a string on the door. Her heart was racing.  
“Oh my!” Jeff gasped, “If one of our girls is sick, then we have to go in.”  
Leia got up and walked to the door, hearing Lizzie’s panicked voice. There was obviously something going on that Lizzie didn’t want Marva or Jeff to see.  
“No!” Lizzie said, backing up against the door, “She’s highly contagious!”  
Leia opened the big wooden door and stood behind the screen door with a smile on her face.  
“Actually, we’re feeling great,” Leia said, “Unless, Lizzie knows something we don’t know…”  
Marva nodded and pushed past Lizzie. “Stand aside, dear.”  
The second Marva pulled the door open, the giant bucket of chocolate syrup fell all over Marva, which made her slide forward so some syrup got on Jeff too. When they stepped inside the cabin, they slipped on the vegetable oil on the floor. When they reached the back of the cabin, Jeff reached up and pulled one of the strings to boost him up, which only turned the fan on, releasing tons of feathers all over the room like powdery snow.  
“You see what I mean by a big horrible mess?” Lizzie asked, sheepishly shrugging her shoulders.  
Marva spit out the feathers from her mouth and pointed to Lizzie. “You!” Leia smiled with content until Marva pointed to her as well “and you!” She coughed and beat her chest, another feather popping out, “Pack your bags!”  
On a group hiking trip, the campers all had backpacks filled with snacks and water bottles as they started to travel up the mountain. However, they were going to make one quick stop to the furthest cabin in the forest, away from everyone else.  
“Now,” Marva said as she glared at the two identical girls in front of her, “You two will stay in the Isolation Cabin.”  
Jeff braggingly pointed up a hill to the side of the road, where hundreds of steps lead to a cabin isolated by trees. Leia and Lizzie stared in agony as they were dismissed from the group and watched them continue on their hike. Travis looked back and waved at Leia. She gave him a small wave before heading up the hundreds of steep stairs.  
The cabin had one bathroom, which smelled terrible, and two beds with light switches on both sides of the wall next to their beds. There was a big space in the middle and then their two separate sides. The rules of the Isolation Cabin were that there were to be no visitors, which is part of the punishment; hence the isolation. Travis tried to sneak out one night to see Leia, but by the time he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw that the lights kept flickering on and off, as if they were arguing over whether or not to keep the lights on at that hour of the night. Next thing he heard were screams coming from the inside, so he backed up and left.  
Things obviously weren’t going well. At least until one very stormy Summer day. It seemed like a beautiful sunny day, which is why Lizzie had her windows wide open, but it started raining harshly within a nano second. As the wind started to blow, all of the pictures Lizzie had printed out on paper were scattered all around the room. Leia gasped and got up.  
“Here,” Leia said quickly, running to the window, “Let me help you.”  
Lizzie pulled as Leia pushed, but the window wasn’t moving much.  
“It’s stuck!” Lizzie whined.  
With a little more effort, it slammed shut and Lizzie fell back onto her bed with a thud.  
“Thanks…” Lizzie said, a little out of breath.  
“No problem,” Leia said with a shrug, looking down at the pictures on the floor, “I hope your pictures weren’t ruined.”  
Lizzie crawled down to the ground and picked up one of her pictures which was discolored and wrinkled.  
“Just a picture of my dad,” Lizzie sighed.  
“Oh… I’m sorry,” Leia muttered.  
“It’s fine. I have more. This was just one of my dad on his ship.”  
Lizzie turned the photo over and showed Leia the photo, which was now blurred and ruined. What Leia could make out, it looked like a big ship with a man in a black leather jacket steering a ship while looking over his shoulder off into the distance. She couldn’t recognize his face, since the paper was so damaged, but the mood was very somber.  
“What does your dad do?” Leia asked.  
“He’s a captain,” Lizzie answered, “He works for one of the best fishing companies in Nantucket. He has his own crew that goes out to sea and catches fish for restaurants and fish markets in the area. Nantucket is one of the best places for fishing after all.”  
“And these people,” Leia said, picking up the pictures of Robin, Roland, Peter, and Brennan, “Who are they?”  
“Oh!” Lizzie said excitedly, pointing to the picture of Robin and the little boy, “That’s my Uncle Robin. He’s my godfather. That tall guy is his son. His wife passed away a long time ago and they’ve been living with us ever since in our guest house,” She pointed to the old man smiling in a chair, “That’s my grandpa. All he does is sit in his armchair and watch British television,” Lizzie laughed.  
“You have a lot of men in your life,” Leia noted.  
“For sure,” Lizzie agreed, “What about you? I’m guessing by the tone of your voice that you probably just have your dad, right?”  
“Well…” Leia sighed, sitting back on her bed, “I don’t really have a dad. My mom divorced him when I was a baby and then she took me and we moved to New York, so I’ve never met him. Now I live in this apartment building with my grandparents and my brother, Henry.”  
“That’s a lot of people,” Lizzie chuckled.  
“For sure,” Leia nodded, “But it’s nice. On my birthday, I get twice as many presents as other kids.”  
In the midst of the silence, Lizzie started thinking, since her birthday was mentioned.  
“Leia?” Lizzie asked, “When’s your birthday?”  
“I’ll be 18 on October 11th,” Leia answered.  
“Whoa!” Lizzie gasped, “So will I!”  
Lizzie sat back against her bed and stared at the ceiling as a thousand thoughts started running through her head.  
“First our birthdays are the same and now I’m being nice to you?” Leia laughed, “With all this crazy, I’m gonna need a snack or something. I’m willing to trudge through the rain to the Mess Hall if you are.”  
“Hold on, Leia,” Lizzie halted, getting up, her eyes wide, “You say you’ve never met your dad before?”  
“Yeah,” Leia nodded, “but I’ve seen him lots of times before. I have this one picture that my mom gave me so I’d stop asking questions about him. It was supposed to be a wedding photo, but they ripped it up right down the middle so all you see is my dad in his-.”  
Lizzie immediately ran to her folder on her nightstand and rummaged through it until she found a crinkled up picture with a rip on one side.  
“So you say… you’ve never met your dad…” Lizzie said shakily, “and I’ve never met my mum… but this… this is a picture of my mum.”  
Leia went into the zip pocket in her duffle, pulling out that same picture she was describing.  
“This is really scary…” Leia breathed.  
“Freaky,” Lizzie agreed, taking a deep breath, “Okay, on the count of three, we’ll show them to each other.”  
“Got it…” Leia said, a little choked up, “One…”  
“T-Two…”  
“Three!” both of them said, revealing their photos and bringing them together to create a perfect fit. It was a picture of Killian Jones and Emma Swan on their wedding day, standing at the altar, holding hands and smiling at each other with a beautiful sunset in the background.  
“That’s my dad…” Lizzie said, staring at the photo in Leia’s hand.  
“T-That’s my mom…” Leia said, tears forming her eyes. When they put the pictures down, she started to wipe her eyes, “You wanna know something? I’ve never been not hungry in my entire life… until right now.”  
“So… my dad is your dad…” Lizzie concluded.  
“And my mom is your mom… that means… that we’re like sisters?”  
“We are sisters, you fool!” Lizzie laughed, bringing her sobbing sister into a tight embrace. Within seconds she could feel Leia’s tears dampening her shirt, “Do you always cry this much?”  
“Yeah,” Leia said, laughing a little bit at herself, “I actually get it from… our mom.”  
“Wow does that feel weird to say,” Lizzie laughed, pushing Leia back and rubbing her shoulders. She noticed the way Leia was sobbing and grabbing onto the small silver circle on her necklace, “What’s that you’ve got there?”  
Leia sniffed. “It’s my locket… it has a picture of me when I was a baby inside. On the outside it says Leia.”  
Lizzie pulled out the same locket from under her shirt. “I have one too! Only mine says Elizabeth on it.”  
“Probably so our parents wouldn’t get us mixed up,” Leia laughed.  
“Oh my god,” Lizzie cried as she pulled her sister in for another hug, laughing at her at the same time. Now, the world didn’t seem so empty for either of the girls. They were finally together and completely whole.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your feedback has been incredibly heartwarming and helpful. Thank you all! <3

The full moon was high in the sky as the humidity levels were surprisingly low that night. Lizzie and Leia pushed their beds together and stared at the ceiling, pinning the picture of their parents together on the wall in the center. They whispered about what their parents were like. They talked about Emma being the best detective in New York City and Killian doing marvelously with fishing company. They talked about how they get their natural sword fighting talent from their father and their grit and honesty from their mother.  
“So…” Lizzie whispered, “I’m guessing by now you know about-.”  
“Our ‘special’ situation?” Leia answered, “Oh yeah, I know all about that… Grandma Mary-Margaret is Snow White. Grandpa David is Prince Charming. My god-mother, Regina, is The Evil Queen-.”  
“Dad is Captain Hook,” Lizzie bragged, “My Uncle Robin is actually Robin Hood. We named our cat after Peter Pan.”  
“You did?” Leia laughed.  
“Aye,” Lizzie nodded, “Dad can’t stand that cat. He’s always telling me to pick him up and take him away.”  
“What Henry wouldn’t give for a pet,” Leia sighed, “He wanted a dog, but neither Regina nor mom would let him.”  
“Wait,” Lizzie said, “So Regina is both your godmother and-.”  
“Our brother’s adoptive mother,” Leia said, “also our grandmother’s step-mother. But she doesn’t live with us. She’s a mayor. But she visits all the time. It’s really complicated.”  
“Can any of them do magic?” Lizzie asked.  
“Aunt Regina can,” Leia answered, “Mom can too, but she doesn’t like to use it as much. With her job, she thinks it’s unfair to use it.”  
“She must be really good at what she does,” Lizzie sighed.  
“She is,” Leia confirmed, “but she’s always so into her work and her family that she never did get re-married. Not even close. She went on maybe one or two dates, but it never lasts.”  
“Dad never dated either,” Lizzie added, “With all the men around the house, he says that I am the only girl he’ll ever need in his life. Sometimes he uses it as a compliment, but I really feel like he’s just saying I’m a lot to handle.”  
Both girls giggled, then laid back on the bed and sighed. Just as Lizzie was about to drift off to sleep, Leia got up with a gasp, hitting Lizzie’s bed.  
“I have an idea! Don’t go to sleep! Genius is at work!”  
“What is it?” Lizzie asked, rubbing her eyes.   
“You wanna know what mom is like?” Leia asked. Lizzie nodded, “And I definitely want to get to know my dad… so here’s my idea… you ready?”   
“Good grief just say it,” Lizzie groaned.  
“Let’s switch places! When camp is over, I’ll go back to Nantucket as you and you can go back to New York as me!”  
“Leia, I don’t mean to discourage you… I mean I do,” Lizzie said, “but that’s a terrible idea. I get we’re similar in a lot of ways, but we’re also very different. For starters, I have a different accent than you, I’m like a soft color, you’re a neon color, I’m leather, you’re sweats, shall I go on?”  
“It can’t be too hard,” Leia said, “Those are just little differences, like clothes and habits. We can teach each other and be experts by the time camp is over no problem.”  
“This is a terrible idea, once again,” Lizzie said.  
“I can get you help!” Leia cheered, “I’ll write to Henry and he can help you keep up the charade if you feel uncomfortable going in alone. It’ll be so much easier to work your way through my life if you have him helping you out along the way! Come on, Lizzie… I really wanna meet my dad…”  
“You know... “ Lizzie mused, “If we do switch… eventually they will have to unswitch us.”  
“Exactly! And when they do, they’ll finally get to see each other for the first time in at least 17 years.”  
“Wow…” Lizzie sighed, falling back onto the bed, “Imagine our family together at last…”  
Over the next several weeks, the sisters helped each other learn about each other’s lives to a T. Henry received Leia’s letter just in time and sent one back, thinking this was a brilliant idea. By the time Leia finished with Lizzie, she knew when everyone’s birthdays were, knew when family dinner was and the traditional games they like to play, and where each of her family members lived. She also had a natural love for hot cocoa with cinnamon as well.   
Lizzie was excited to get her hands on Leia. First things first, she had to teach her how to handle a straightener, since Lizzie straightens her hair every single day, despite it getting a bit wavy from the sea. Leia knew Lizzie’s secret handshake with her god-brother, Roland, knew about her father’s habits, how he got his hand back after fighting Rumpelstiltskin for it, and how to properly catch a fish the way their father taught her.   
The more they were learning about each other, and the more colorful poster-board diagrams that were taped to their walls, the closer they grew. They did magic spells together, feeding each other information about themselves that couldn’t be taught the old fashioned way. They were becoming more and more similar by the second. That’s what made saying goodbye so hard by the time camp finally ended.  
Leia was dressed in shorts with a wrap that was tied into a bow in front and a black tank top with sandals and straight hair. Lizzie was rocking some very natural curls with bright green shorts and a one shoulder white top while kicking in some expensive looking sneakers. When the busses starting coming, both girls looked at each other and pulled into a tight embrace.  
“Remember,” Lizzie said, “You’re going to ask dad how he met mum.”  
“And you’re going to figure out why they broke up,” Leia finished.  
“Lizzie Jones!” Jeff called over the megaphone, “Your car is here!”  
Leia looked over her shoulder at the car and the man getting out of it.  
“I’ve got to get on the bus,” Lizzie said, “before Uncle Robin sees me.”  
The twins embraced and whispered their goodbyes before parting ways. Leia was instantly met with the beaming grin of her new god-father. As she started walking closer to him, his arms started to spread, making her start to run towards him until they collided into each other in a big bear hug.  
“Look at you! You got tan!” Robin laughed.  
“I missed you, Robin!” Leia said in her best Lizzie accent, remembering that she doesn’t actually call him Uncle Robin to his face.  
“And I’ve brought you a surprise,” Robin said, opening the back door.  
A tall, skinny guy walked out of the car with a big smile on his face. Leia remembered that Roland had been in college and she hadn’t seen him since he left in January.  
“Roland!” Leia cheered.  
“Hey!” Roland said, hugging Leia, “What the hell is your problem? Delaying our reunion by going to Summer Camp.”  
“I had a great time,” Leia nodded, “I can’t wait to tell you all about it.”  
The whole four hour car ride back to Nantucket was the most nerve wracking car ride Leia had ever taken in her entire life, and not just because she rarely travels by car, but because she was more anxious than ever to see her father. There were so many doubts in her head now that it was actually happening. All she wanted, in the end, was for her father to like her. I hope he likes me, she said in her mind, practically begging as she crossed her fingers underneath her lap.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, I sobbed writing this one. I have a soft spot for this scene in the movie. I hope you guys enjoy it! For those of you who are about 4 chapters ahead of this on FF, try not to spoil it for others. Deal?   
> You guys are great!

The island of Nantucket was quaint and quiet. Basically, the complete opposite of New York City. Robin assumed that “Lizzie’s” absent minded observation of the town was just because she missed the place so much. Roland started doing the same thing whenever he’d come back from college. It only made sense. Meanwhile, everything was coming together for Leia when she was finally placed into Lizzie’s world.  
The way to their house, by the sea, was through the tiny town, and then down a road where the grass and trees slowly turned into maritime and sand. When they finally pulled up to the street that was parallel to the beach. On Scenic Highway right next to the Crystal Sands beach. It was even more beautiful and breathtaking than Lizzie had described it. For some reason, she pictured a dull sky and a lot of boats. This place was warm and sunny and comforting; like a big blanket.  
Leia nearly jumped out of the car, causing Robin to fall back and burst into laughter before going in the back entrance to get into the adjoining house right next to hers. When she pushed the door open, she was struck with color and beauty. There were shiny wooden floors which lead to a single narrow carpeted stairway. To her left was a living room space and a banner hanging over that said “Welcome Home, Lizzie!”. Leia walked into the living room and saw the TV on, but on mute, as an old man sat in a cushiony rocking chair, staring directly at it, wearing a button down and khakis.  
“Grandfather?” Leia called.  
Brennan’s eyes darted to his granddaughter and his eyes widened. “Is that my granddaughter? Can it be? But you’re so tall and grown up!”  
“It is me,” Leia nodded.  
Brennan rose from his chair, laughing his old man laugh as he brought Leia in for a gentle hug. “Did you have a good time, love?”  
“Aye, it was wonderful,” Leia answered excitedly, “There was boating and whale watching and fencing-.”  
“Fencing!” Brennan cheered, “You must have done splendidly, showed those other kids who’s boss!”  
“I sure did,” Leia said proudly.  
A faint voice was heard from what sounded like the upper level of the house.  
“Lizzie?”  
Leia could feel her heart racing. Brennan gave Leia that look and sat back in his chair, gesturing her towards the staircase.  
“Lizzie, is that you?” a man’s voice called.  
Suddenly there he was, rushing down the stairs, both of his hands in tact, unlike the photo Leia saw of him. He still wore all those rings on his fingers, though. He was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans; the most casual picture she had ever seen of him in comparison to all the ones Lizzie showed her. Oh my god was the phrase that kept running through Leia’s head.  
“Father…” Leia said breathlessly.  
“You’re back, you bloody sailor!” Killian sighed with relief.  
They both immediately started bolting towards each other, and then it was like the world slowed down and stopped once she had her arms wrapped around her father’s neck, standing there at the bottom of that staircase. He picked her up and spun her around, a glorious laugh coming from him. In fact, that was the happiest he had been since Lizzie left for camp. He kissed her head and brush her hair back, cradling her head with his left hand.  
“I ought to be afraid of a man walking through that door behind you,” Killian said into her shoulder, “You look even more stunning than when you left.”  
“That’s because I resemble my father,” Leia said, wanting to joke, but actually shedding more tears than she wanted to.  
Killian laughed and stepped back from her. Then shouting in frustration and looking down and shaking his leg to get the grey little fur ball off of him. “Enough, you feline!”  
Leia gasped. “Peter Pan!” She picked up the little cat and hugged him close to her, which caused the cat to squeal until he fell out of her arms.  
“A ha!” Killian laughed, “See? That cat is a little demon, just like the original Pan,” He frowned as he noticed a little tear falling down his daughter’s cheek, “Aw, love, why are you crying?” he asked, wiping away one of her tears with his index finger, “You only cry on occasion.”  
“Is seeing my father for the first time in weeks not an occasion to cry?” Leia sniffed, “I’ve just missed you, and all of this, so much… dad.”  
Killian smiled and wrapped his right arm around his daughter, hugging her close to him and rubbing his daughter’s back. “I know… it seems like it’s been forever. I’ve been without my sailing companion for far too long.”  
“You have no idea,” Leia chuckled, hugging her father tighter.  
After Leia composed herself, Killian had tea prepared on the deck for him and his daughter to share as a celebration of her return. He thought of including his father, but knew the old man was too lazy to get up anyway.  
“I do hope you’re hungry,” Killian said as Leia took her seat.  
“Always,” Leia joked.  
“So how was everyone?” he asked, pouring his own tea and then pouring a bit into her cup, “Did you like it? Was it fun?”  
“For sure,” Leia answered, “I’m glad I decided to go. I met so many great people… I feel like I’ve seen more of the world now that I’ve seen this kind of terrain… but I do miss the sea more than anything.”  
The phone inside started to ring. It was particularly loud so it could be heard from the deck just in case Killian needed to be somewhere for work.  
“Bloody hell,” he whispered, “I told them I’m off duty today. Just give me a moment, Lizzie.”  
“It’s fine, dad,” Leia assured him, “If they need you it’s because they’re too incompetent to do it themselves.”  
Killian nodded and slid the door to the side, picking up the phone on the nearest side table. As he started talking to the person on the other end of the line, Leia started observing the people on the beach, especially the families. Some of them were all holding hands as they traveled from one end to the other. There was a father carrying his daughter on his shoulders and a mother cradling her child in her arms.  
“But can’t you manage without me?” Leia heard Killian asked the person on the other end of the line, “Lizzie just got back from camp, that’s why I made sure everything was in order so I wouldn’t have to-.” There was a pause. Leia looked over her shoulder and saw her father frowning, then he sighed and rubbed his forehead, “Sooner or later, Smee, you are all going to have to learn to not need me all the time.” He placed the phone on his shoulder. “Lizzie?”  
Leia looked up and rushed to the door.  
“Would you hate to go to the docks quickly before we grab lunch?” Killian asked.  
“No!” Leia said excitedly, “I’d love it!”  
“Of course, why did I think you wouldn’t,” Killian chuckled, then returned to the phone and told Smee he’d be there in 20 minutes.  
Together, the two of them walked out the door and down the street, past all of the families with temporary residences all around the neighborhood. It almost shocked Leia how often people would stop and wave at them, calling her father “Captain Jones”. Each time, a smile would grow on Killian’s face. All the while, Leia would be telling stories about funny things that happened, like the pranks they’d pull on each other, the hiking trips, and the food.  
“Well you’ve certainly got lunch on the brain,” Killian laughed, “I haven’t heard you talk about food like that since you were a toddler.”  
“You should have seen the food over there,” Leia groaned, “It was hardly satisfying. Most of their desserts had apples.”  
“Of all the fruits in the world to be allergic to, it had to be the one Camp Walden served,” Killian said, rolling his eyes as they approached New Whale Street, where the docks were, “No matter, I’m never sending you back there again. I missed you far too much.”  
“Captain!” Smee called from the boat.  
“Alright, I’m here,” Killian called back, “What do you want?”  
Smee and the other men began to complain about a problem they were having with their ship and Killian quickly went to work, opening up the engine of the ship. Leia was watching her father in awe as these people relied on him so much for one of the most important commodities in Nantucket; fish. The next problem was that people on the island were reporting that there were no fish to be caught anywhere close to the docks.  
“Lizzie,” Killian called.  
“Aye?” Leia answered.  
“You mind rolling that barrel of bait onto the boat?” he asked.  
Leia nodded and rushed to the barrel he was pointing at. She pushed it over and its side and rolled it onto the boat as it landed, tipping it a little bit, but Killian managed to get it standing back up. Then he started the ship and they were in the open water, feeling the sea breeze and the salt spray. It felt as though she were practically flying or gliding just off the surface of the water. It felt liberating and wonderful. The boat traveled to a nearby dock and they dumped the barrel of bait into the water. Soon enough, a few of the fisherman on the docks were catching fish, all of them with smiles on their faces; especially the fathers who had little children with them.  
“Look at that,” Killian said proudly, “See? Problem solved, you slimey bilgrats.”  
Leia stood there, leaning against the edge of the ship, watching the people and the crew and her father.  
“My dad is too cool…” she whispered to herself, a big bright smile growing on her face.  
Afterwards, the two of them went into the local fish store where Lizzie told Leia she always orders a Fish Fillet Sandwich and their dad always orders a Lobster Salad Roll. It was so often they went there that when Leia and Killian entered the store, the man at the counter cheered and told them he’d be right out with their order. Once they sat down with their food, Leia tried the sandwich in the basket and nearly melted at the taste.  
“I can tell you missed that,” Killian laughed.  
“For sure,” Leia groaned as she chewed, “It’s been so long… I hope things haven’t changed too much.”  
“Well you were only gone 8 weeks,” Killian replied, “but then again, you were gone a whole 8 weeks… not to worry, Lizzie, everything has remained the same, just as you remember it.”  
“You haven’t even got a girlfriend to surprise me with?” Leia asked casually before taking another big bite of her sandwich.  
Killian let out a roar of laughter, “Of course I knew you’d ask that. I am devilishly handsome after all.”  
“The same thing you’ve cursed me with,” Leia muttered.  
“Are you trying to tell me you DO have a boyfriend?” Killian asked.  
“No!” Leia laughed, “None of those boys knew how to sail a ship. Do you really think I’d invite that kind of rubbish into my life?”  
“Good,” Killian nodded, raising his cup of Diet Coke before drinking it, “but no… I have not thought of a single woman but you, my daughter.”  
“Not even my mother?” Leia asked.  
Killian choked on his Diet Coke a little bit, then put the cup down, taking a deep breath. “Asking about your mother, now are we?”  
“It was just a question,” Leia defended, “A lot of people at camp talked about their mums and I realized… I didn’t have anything to say except that I know what she looks like…”  
Killian sighed. “I knew you’d start asking question eventually… I’m just relieved it took this long for it to happen.”  
“You can’t avoid the subject forever,” Leia assured him, “Just at least tell me what she was like.”  
“Okay, fine. Since you’re going to keep nagging me if I don’t tell you,” Killian said, adjusting in his seat, “Your mother’s name is Emma. She’s tough as nails and more clever than anyone I’d ever met. I suppose that’s where you get that from. We met back in… the other place. I was undercover and she knew I was lying just by looking at me.”  
“Was it love at first sight?” Leia asked with wide and hopeful eyes.  
Killian sighed and chuckled before shaking his head. It was often too much for him to think about, especially since he hadn’t really thought about Emma in years. “That’s enough talk of your mother,” he said.  
“For now,” Leia said, raising her eyebrows.  
Killian shook his head and chuckled. “Eat, love. Then we’ll head back to the house and you can do some catching up with your grandfather.”  
Hearing her father talk about her mother gave her goosebumps. As she sat there, eating her fillet sandwich, she thought about her mom and how much she actually missed her. Emma was always good at making a grilled cheese, even though she swears she can’t do it as well as most diners in the city. Then Leia thought of Lizzie and how happy she must have been to see her mother.


	5. Chapter 5

From the yellow school bus, Lizzie was lead to a train, which would take her straight to Grand Central Station. Carrying her duffle, she climbed up the stairs and walked into the great wide open space, never seeing something so grand and luxurious in her entire life. Just straight ahead was a man with a black denim jacket, anxiously looking around. Lizzie almost couldn’t move because she was so happy.  
“Oh gosh…” she whispered to herself, “That’s my brother…”  
When Henry finally made eye contact with a girl who looked exactly like his sister Leia, he smiled at her, trying to be a tough guy and not cry at the sight of Lizzie. After all, the last time he saw her, she was a little baby.  
“Hey Liz,” Henry called once Lizzie got closer to him, “Welcome home, kid.”  
Lizzie stood a few feet away from him, trying to blink a few times to see if this was even real, but the excitement got ot her head. She dropped her bag beside her and ran into her big brother’s arms as he picked her up and spun her around.  
“Where’s mum?” Lizzie asked anxiously.  
“In the bathroom,” Henry said, “She said she’d be quick so she could hug you before I got to, but I guess I beat her to it. You might wanna drop the accent before she gets here.”  
Lizzie cleared her throat, then nodded. “Right. God, I can’t believe I’m really here… in New York City… with my brother and-.”  
“Leia?” Emma’s voice called.  
Lizzie turned around and was completely breathless at the sight of the angel before her; her own mother, beautiful blonde hair and all.   
“Get into these arms, you little punk,” Emma said with a big smile on her face, opening her arms for her daughter.  
“Mom…” Lizzie breathed, then ran towards her, shouting, “Finally!”  
Emma squeezed her daughter tightly, cradling her head and taking a huge sigh of relief. Even though she wouldn’t admit it, she was completely worried for Leia the entire time she was away. Lizzie was almost too choked up to even say anything by the time she stepped away from her mom.  
“I hope you had a lousy time,” Emma teased, “because you are absolutely never going back to that place. It was complete chaos here without you, kid.”  
Lizzie smiled and was almost angry at herself that tears were starting to fall down her face. Emma laughed.  
“There’s my emotional girl,” she said, wrapping an arm around Lizzie, “Henry, get her bag, please.”  
“What else am I here for,” Henry said sarcastically as he bent down to pick up the large duffle bag.  
“So what’s up, mom?” Lizzie asked casually, “How’s grandma and grandpa?”  
“Good,” Emma answered, “Everyone’s really good. They can’t wait to see you.”  
“Yeah. they might lose their minds once you get there,” Henry said, “Just to warn you.”  
“That’s cause they haven’t seen her in 8 weeks,” Emma said, “You know, Leia, a lot’s been happening over here in the last 8 weeks.”  
“A lot,” Henry added.  
“Believe me, a lot’s happened to me too, mom,” Lizzie said, raising her eyebrows.  
They walked into the revolving door, which was a complete mystery to Lizzie, and they walked into the most beautiful thing she had ever seen in her entire life; New York City. Her mouth practically flew open as she looked at all the tall buildings and the sunlight and the people. It was like one great big giant fantasy.  
“Hey, hot shot,” Henry whispered beside Lizzie, “Try not to look so much like a tourist. Remember, you live here.”  
Lizzie nodded and looked down at the sidewalk like everyone else was doing. They walked a little ways, having small discussions, which were mostly lead by Henry in order to help keep Lizzie up with what was going on in Leia’s life. After they crossed the street one last time, they were met by a gate, which they pushed open to go into the lobby of an apartment complex. Waiting on a couch in the lobby was a perky short, black haired looking woman with a blonde man by her side. When the woman caught sight of Lizzie, she stood up and started cheering.  
“Hey grandma,” Henry said, giving Lizzie the side eye.  
“Hello gorgeous!!” Mary-Margaret cried, running to hug her granddaughter, “Oh! Look at you! You look so grown up!”  
“Don’t you ever let your mom talk you into going to camp again,” Lizzie’s grandfather said, coming up slowly behind her, “You’re a grown woman and you need to be searching for adventure.”  
“I missed you too, grandpa,” Lizzie said, giving him a gentle hug.  
“Let’s go up to your place,” Mary-Margaret said excitedly, “I’ve got fresh cannoli’s from the bakery across the street. Are you hungry?”  
Remembering her time with Leia, Lizzie knew one thing for sure; Leia was ALWAYS hungry.  
“For sure,” Leia said with a sweet and innocent smile.  
Mary-Margaret frowned a little bit, looking at her granddaughter’s face. “Why are you so quiet? Are you alright? Do you feel sick?”  
“No,” Lizzie said, rapidly shaking her head, “I’m fine.”  
“Hey,” Emma said, coming up behind her daughter and kissing her on the head, then looking at her mom, “Did I hear something about cannolis from across the street?”   
“Yes, on your kitchen counter,” Mary-Margaret said.  
Lizzie’s mother and grandmother went ahead with David falling behind. Henry walked beside Lizzie as they all took the elevator up to Emma’s apartment.  
“Something’s changed about you, Leia,” David said, “I can’t put my finger on it, but something’s different… maybe you did a little too much growing up over there.”  
“Well, it’s the same old me,” Lizzie assured him, “Honest.”  
Henry winked at Lizzie, causing both of them to laugh.  
When they got inside Leia and Emma’s apartment, it was a wide open space with lots of windows and exposed bricks, as well as plants and modern technology. It was very Leia, for sure. There were also old vintage movie posters and funky stickers with references she didn’t understand everywhere she turned. They stayed and pow-wowed while eating cannolis on the couch for a little while, but when Mary-Margaret and David left, Emma sighed and got up, folding up the box and putting it in the recycling.  
“Alright, kiddos,” Emma said, “What do you wanna do? Do you wanna eat and then unpack? You wanna unpack and then eat? Or we can eat while we unpack.”  
“But didn’t we just eat?” Lizzie asked, frowning.  
“Since when has that ever stopped you?” Emma asked with a laugh.  
“Hey mom, how about I stick around and help,” Henry said, stepping in before an awkward silence could ruin Lizzie’s cover. Just then, Emma’s phone buzzed on the kitchen counter.  
“That would be a big help,” Emma responded as she looked at her phone, “When you’re done, Leia, I need you to come meet me on the roof. There’s someone I want you to meet.”  
“Alright, mom,” Lizzie nodded.  
Emma head out the door and non-purposefully slammed it behind her, which she always does. Lizzie looked over at Henry, frowning.  
“Someone she wants me to meet?” Lizzie asked, back in her normal accent, “Something tells me you know about this.”  
“Liz,” Henry sighed, crossing his arms and looking away from her.  
“Hen,” Lizzie said with a glare, also crossing her arms, “Who am I meeting?”  
Henry looked at his sister and saw more fear in her eyes than strength. That must have been part of being raised by Killian Jones; she’s awfully terrible at hiding her feelings just to seem tough.   
“It’s none of my business what mom does to make a fool out of herself,” Henry said, “She’s a big girl. She can do what she wants.”  
“Okay, okay. But who is he?” Lizzie asked.  
“His name is Walsh,” Henry answered, “He was one of mom’s clients. Somebody robbed his furniture store and she caught the perp. Apparently, they’ve been seeing each other behind our backs as to not alarm anyone in case it wasn’t serious.”  
“Leia says it’s never serious.”  
“It usually isn’t… but this guy is something else,” Henry said, rolling his eyes, “Ever since she brought him to meet all of us 8 weeks ago, they’ve been doing everything together. They go out to dinner every night, they walk to work together, they walk back together, and he’s even stayed here a few nights. If you ask me, I’m thinking he’s interested in more than just mom’s clever turn of phrase.”  
“What do you mean?” Lizzie asked.  
“All I’m saying is that people used to talk about him being an old crackpot,” he answered, “Nobody would go near that furniture store. Now all of a sudden he’s got New York’s finest, a young, beautiful woman, wrapped around his finger.”  
“You think he’s a criminal or a player or something?”  
“That’s what it seems like to me,” he shrugged, “but hey, what do I know, right? You should just meet him yourself. Don’t let me influence you.”  
Lizzie took the elevator up to the level to the roof, which was just a dark hallway with a staircase. When she opened the door, she saw Emma sitting there with a glass of wine, sitting next to a rather handsome, yet sort of old, looking guy. Lizzie cleared her throat and Emma hopped out of her seat.  
“Great, you’re here!” Emma said, getting up and placing her hands on her daughter’s shoulders, “Leia, this is Walsh.”  
Walsh looked at the girl and flashed a big cheesy smile, “Hi!”  
“Hi Walsh,” Lizzie answered sternly.  
“So I’m finally meeting the famous Leia,” Walsh sighed with content, “You are even more stunning than your mother described, and even more grown up. I have been looking forward to this all Summer.”  
“Really? Cause my mom never mentioned you.”  
“Okay!” Emma said, picking up the wine bottle, “It seems we are out of wine. Why don’t I head downstairs and get some champagne so we can celebrate.”  
“What are we celebrating?” Lizzie asked.  
Emma was about to open her mouth before Walsh interrupted. “You’re homecoming, of course!”  
“I’ll be right back,” she said, kissing her daughter’s head before walking out the door.   
Lizzie, far too impressed with her means of suave passive aggression she got from her father, took a seat in Emma’s spot and stared out into the horizon, watching the city and the buildings in front of her beyond the brick wall.  
“So how was camp, Leia?” Walsh asked, “Was it fun?”  
“Yeah, but I really missed my mom,” Lizzie answered.  
Walsh nodded. “You know, I have never heard a woman talk about her kids the way Emma talks about you and Henry. Every chance she gets it’s always Henry and Leia this and Henry and Leia that. You are all obviously very close.”  
“Do we have a choice?” Lizzie asked, raising her eyebrows, “I mean, our family is pretty much all we have.”  
“That must be tough, then,” Walsh said, “Seeing another person coming into her life. I assure you, I want us all to be as comfortable as possible.”  
“I wouldn’t worry about it. Out of all the others, you’re by far one of the nicest and least insane.”  
“Others?” Walsh asked, sitting back in his chair, “What others?”  
“Oh… Perhaps I’ve said too much,” Lizzie said, “but I guess if I were in your position, I’d want to know if I was number 28 - oh wait! Number 29 in a woman’s life.”  
“I’m number 29?” Walsh said, raising his eyebrows.  
“Well sure,” Lizzie answered, “It’s always the same routine. Long walks in the park, carriage rides, romantic dinners on the rooftop with a bottle of champagne she keeps on reserve, never-ending conversation-.”  
“Here we go!” Emma said, bursting through the door, sounding a little out of breath, “My special reserved champagne.”  
Lizzie raised her eyebrows and shrugged at Walsh, who was now looking a little bit pale.  
“So,” Emma sighed, standing behind Leia, “Did you guys find something to talk about while I was gone?”  
“We sure did,” Walsh said, a little tense.


	6. Chapter 6

 

In the Jones/Hood complex, everyone was gathered on the couches next to the kitchen, watching TV as Killian was hard at work in the kitchen, trying to maintain his cooking skills. Leia, Robin, Roland, and Brennan were all sitting on the couch watching “Doctor Who”  together, with the volume on this time. The phone rang from the other side of the kitchen.

“Could somebody get that please!” Killian called, his hands covered in fish and oil.

“Got it, dad,” Leia called, jumping over the couch. Robin frowned as he watched her run rapidly to answer the phone, “Ahoy, Jones residence.”

“Leia! We’ve got to talk to you immediately!” Lizzie panicked over the other line.

“Who’s on the phone, love?” Killian asked.

“My friend from camp,” Leia answered, “Do you mind if I take this call outside?”

“Go on,” Killian nodded.

Leia headed for the door to the outside deck and slide the screen door closed first, and then the hard door next.

“Okay, now I can talk,” Leia said, back in her usual American accent, “Oh my god! Dad is amazing. We’ve been having so much fun. I cannot believe I’ve gone my entire life without knowing him or any of these guys. We’ve watched Doctor Who together, gone fishing, we even went scouting once in the forest, it was so much fun. Robin was so proud of me thanks to the skills we learned at camp-.”

“Leia!” Lizzie cried, “Stop! We’ve got a big problem on our hands. We’re going to have to skip to phase 2 immediately.”

“Immediately!?” Leia yelled, “I’ve only had one day with dad and we’re just getting comfortable. I can’t. I won’t.”

“But this is an emergency, Leia,” Henry said, “Mom’s in love.”

“Get out!” Leia gasped, “Mom doesn’t fall in love! At least not seriously anyway…”

“Oh she’s serious alright,” Henry assured her, “You have to see the way she looks at him. I’ve never seen her so starry-eyed in my life. And get this, Lizzie met him!”

“She did…?” Leia asked, “but mom would never introduce me to any guy she dates unless-.”

“You believe us now?” Lizzie asked.

“Well you just have to break them up!” Leia suggested, “Sabotage them or something.”

“I’m trying,” Lizzie groaned, “but we’re at a slight disadvantage here since every curve ball we throw at him seems to make him that much stronger. You have to come back here.”

“Lizzie’s right,” Henry agreed, “Besides this plan you have with your dad, this guy’s all wrong for her.”

“You guys, I can’t,” Leia spat, “I want more time with dad.” Leia looked around inside through the clear door, then grinned to herself, “What’s that!? Aye, dad! I’m coming. I gotta go.”

“But-.”

The phone line went dead on Lizzie. She groaned and threw her head back against the cushiony couch in Henry’s apartment.

“Good to know she hasn’t changed,” Henry joked.

In Nantucket, Leia groaned in frustration, tugging on the door to get inside.

“The lock button, Liz!” Robin yelled.

Leia looked down at the handle and pushed the button as she opened it.

“Right…” Leia said, “I - uh - forgot.”

Everyone was looking at her funny, wondering why she looked so worried and sounded so distressed. All they heard were muffled sounds of her voice. Not to mention she forgot how to open the door to her own deck. Leia smiled brightly.

“All is well,” she assured them, then looked at the prepared food on the counter, “So… dinner?”

In the morning in New York City, Lizzie was sitting at her grandparents table as Mary-Margaret delivered several plates of food and placed them in the center of the table where David and Henry were both sitting.

“Okay, the most important meal of the day!” Mary-Margaret chimed, “We have scrambled eggs with bacon, some toast, a fruit salad, and in case you’re really hungry, Leia, I made you some chocolate chip pancakes.”

Both David and Henry immediately dug into the bacon, eggs, and toast, while Lizzie sat there, her hands folded in her lap as she reached for a single piece of fruit. David frowned.

“You’re not hungry again?” David asked, “You hardly touched the cannolis, your favorite food in the world, and now you don’t want breakfast?”

“Are you feeling alright?” Mary-Margaret asked, touching Lizzie’s forehead.

“Yeah,” Lizzie said, “Where’s mom?”

“Oh,” Mary-Margaret groaned, “She and Mr. “I’ll Just Have Half a Glass of Orange Juice, Please” left about an hour ago, but she wants you to meet her at her office as soon as you’re done with breakfast.”

“She does!?” Lizzie asked excitedly, then grabbed a piece of bacon, taking one small bite of it, “I’m done! I’ll see you guys later! Thanks again for breakfast, grandma!”

Lizzie ran to the door, opened it, and let it slam behind her harshly, making all of them jump a little bit. David replayed the whole thing in her head, remembering the Leia that left New York to go to came and the Leia who came back from camp. Something was different. Not necessarily off, but different.

Lizzie remembered the directions that Leia gave her to get to Emma’s private investigator’s office. She walked up the first flight of steps and knocked on the opaque glass on the wooden door. She heard footsteps and the door opened to reveal Emma.

“Leia!” Emma said, “How was breakfast?”

“It was fine,” Lizzie answered.

“Good,” Emma sighed, stepping out of her office and closing the door, “Come on, I wanna talk to you about something.”

“Really?” Lizzie asked, “Because there’s something I wanna talk to you about.”

Emma chuckled. “Alright then…” They turned the corner and walked down the stairs. “I wanna talk to you about… Walsh.”

“And I wanna talk to you about my father,” Lizzie said bluntly, causing Emma to stop, “What about Walsh?”

Emma blinked several times. “Wait… what about your father?”

“How long do you expect me to go on without knowing about him?” Lizzie argued.

Emma sighed and placed her hand on her daughter’s back, leading her down the stairs and out the door, “Come on, Leia. We’ve talked about your father…”

“No we haven’t, not really,” Lizzie said, “I’m gonna be 18 and I need more than just half of a crumpled old picture and a name to go on with. Let’s face it, mom… I need a father.”

Emma pushed the revolving door as they left the building. “You know, it’s funny you should say that, because that brings me to-.”

“Hello, hello!”

Lizzie and Emma turned around, both of them flipping their hair as they turned around to see Walsh approaching them, looking business-casual with his hands in his pocket. There was another woman next to him wearing a tight dress down to her knees and a clipboard held to her chest.

“Walsh,” Emma said with a smile.

“Emma,” Walsh said, kissing Emma’s cheek, “It’s good to see you, Leia. This is my assistant manager of the furniture store, Zelena.”

“Nice to meet you,” Leia said.

“If you’re all free later, maybe we can all go have lunch,” Walsh offered, “I’d love for us all to get acquainted. She’s got some brilliant ideas for the store I can’t wait to share with you, dear.”

“Oh, I wish,” Emma sighed, “but I promised Leia we’d hang out together this afternoon.”

Walsh’s eyes widened, then he nodded and grinned. “Not a problem. We’ve got lots of work to do anyway. I’ll see you at dinner then.”

“Of course,” Emma responded.

He kissed her quickly on the lips before Walsh turned around and walked away with Zelena by his side. His face suddenly went from sweet to sour.

“You’re right,” Zelena snorted, “The girl is in way over her head.”

“The first change I make when I move in is to get that little brat into a college that’s as far away from here as possible,” Walsh sneered.

“Ooh, lovely choice,” Zelena mused with a sinister grin.

Meanwhile, on the high seas off the coast of Nantucket, Leia and Killian were in a boat, sailing quickly along the choppy seas, laughing and cheering at the rush of being at sea. Killian even let her steer the ship with his help. This was the moment when she had never felt closer to her father.

They slowed the ship down as they got farther out into the water, Nantucket now a tiny blip in the distance. The sound of seagulls was faint in the distance as there was nothing to be seen for miles and miles in the other direction. 

“Are you excited for your camping trip?” Killian asked.

“What camping trip?” Leia asked.

Killian laughed, “What do you mean, what camping trip? The one you go on every year before school with Robin and Roland.”

“Oh!” Leia gasped, “That camping trip. I almost forgot about it. I can’t wait!”

Killian chuckled, then sighed as he scratched his nose, thinking of a thousand scenarios in his head for what he was about to say next.

“So… Lizzie,” he began, “What’s your opinion on.... London.”

“London?” Leia asked, “Well I don’t know, I’ve never been… but it’s a big city, isn’t it.”

“Aye, but it’s got a real impressive fish market,” Killian added.

“And a lot of history… they’ve got a pretty cool monarchy… why do you ask?”

“Well…” Killian said with a sigh, “because the company has been given a huge offer to start fishing in London.”

“The company’s expanding overseas?” Leia asked, wide eyed.

“Aye,” Killian answered.

“That’s great news, dad!” Leia cheered, “Why don’t you look excited?”

Killian sighed. “See… if the company were to move… I would have to go with it… meaning, you and I would go with it.”

“To London…?” Leia muttered worriedly.

“I know you’re just about to start your senior year,” Killian explained, “Which is why I’ve had my reservations… but I want to know what you’d think if we absolutely had to leave.”

Leia slumped back onto the railing behind her at the edge of the ship and looked down at the ground, wondering how on earth Lizzie would actually react to this. What she needed was more time to call her and get a real answer from her, or at least warn her before it was too late.

“You don’t have to decide on anything right now,” Killian assured her, slumping back next to her, “You just take your time… if you’d rather wait to move until you go to college, then so be it.”

Leia nodded. “Okay…”

When they got back to the docks, Killian had to stay to work, but Leia waited until she was quite some distance away from his sight before rushing away, running as fast she could back to the house. When she got there, she shut the door and started pacing around the room.

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” Leia muttered to herself in her usual accent, “I’m in way over my head. I’m just a teenager. What the hell did I think I was doing-.”

“Something you’d like to share with the class, Liz?” Robin asked, peeking out from the living room, making Leia scream with fright.

“You scared the bejeezus out of me, Robin,” Leia breathed, quickly changing her accent back to British.

Robin frowned. “I scared the bejeezus out of you?”

“I mean…” Leia stuttered, “Y-You frightened me, that’s all.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to tell me anything?” Robin asked, pacing around her, “Like… why Peter Pan always squirms when you hold him… or why your appetite has changed to that of a fully grown Grizzly bear… or why all of a sudden you’re jumping and running around and using phrases like bejeezus?”

“Robin… I changed a lot over the summer,” Leia pathetically lied.

Robin sighed. “Alright, fine… if you don’t wanna tell me… for a second there, I could almost say you were like-.” He stopped himself, thinking that there wasn’t any possible way she could know what he was talking about. He shook his head. “Nevermind.”

He turned to walk away. “Almost as if I were like who?” Leia asked.

Robin shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.”

If there was anyone Leia could trust with the secret, it would be Robin, the gentle, loving god-father who could see through anything. He was trustworthy and kind. By now, it seemed like having someone on the inside would be a great comfort.

“Almost as if I were… Leia?” she asked, making him stop in his place.

He frowned as he turned around to face her. “You know about Leia?”

She nodded, switching to her own authentic accent. “I am Leia…”

“Hey dad!” Roland’s voice called from the upstairs as he came down. He suddenly noticed he had walked into a moment and started to head up the stairs, that is until he saw the look of shock and surprise from his dad’s face, seeing his eyes tear up a little bit, “Why are you looking at her like that?”

“Like what?” Robin asked, “This is how I’ve looked at her for 17 years, Roland… since she came home from the hospital in her father’s arms… six pounds and eleven ounces, this is how I look at her…”

“You figured out she’s Leia, didn’t you,” Roland sighed. Leia’s eyes dashed to Roland, her cheeks growing red, “Relax. I practically grew up beside Lizzie, I know when I’m seeing her and when I’m not. Plus, I totally saw you two hugging before you got in the car on the last day of camp.”

Leia laughed as Robin started to actually cry. She pouted her lip and opened her arms, letting him hug her tightly.

“You’ve grown up so beautifully,” Robin said, “and you’ve got a beautiful personality…” he stepped back from her, wiping his nose, “You wanna go out to eat something? Are you hungry? That’s a stupid question, of course you’re hungry. Why don’t the three of us go out to Straight Wharf and get something to eat.”

Leia nodded. “I’d love that.”

“Me too,” Roland said excitedly, “As long as I’m not paying.”

They all laughed before leaving out the front door, arm-in-arm.


	7. Chapter 7

Around the dinner table, Mary-Margaret, David, Henry, Leia, and Emma were sitting, exchanging funny stories about work and the past, all while laughing and sharing a couple glasses of rum. As the only one at the table not old enough to drink, but has had many glasses of rum already, Lizzie spoke up.

“May I have a sip?” she asked.

Emma laughed, knowing since rum practically ran through her veins, that she’d ask one day.

“Sure… but I doubt you’re gonna like it,” Emma answered.

“Don’t speak too soon,” David muttered.

Lizzie took the small glass in her hand and took a sip from it, licked her lips, contemplated, the nodded. “It’s alright,” she concluded, “I much prefer the Malibu brand, even though it’s a bit mainstream, but the coconut taste is very soothing-.”

From under the table, Henry kicked Lizzie’s leg, as if to warn her that she’s showing off a little too much pirate for this side of the family’s taste. Lizzie giggled.

“I mean, so I assume…”

Everyone shrugged and continued eating in silence. Finally, Emma cleared her throat.

“Okay, everyone,” she announced, “I think you’ve all figured out why I’ve invited all of you here tonight… that’s because I’ve got something big to announce.” Lizzie swallowed hard. “Walsh proposed to me… and-.”

“You said yes!?” Lizzie panicked.

“No…” Emma calmed her by grabbing her hand, “I said I’d think about it.”

As Emma kept reassuring that this won’t change anything about the family dynamic if she says yes, Henry looked down at a message he got on his phone from Leia. He slightly tapped Lizzie’s foot with his and showed her the message, slowing pulling it away. Lizzie kept leaning over to try and read it. When she finally saw the “LIZZIE CALL ME SOS”, she was practically out of her seat and fell onto the ground with a shriek.

“Leia!” Mary-Margaret gasped.

“Kid, are you alright?” Emma asked, getting up and leaning over her on the floor.

“I’m fine,” Lizzie assured her mother, “I guess one sip too many, huh? Maybe I just… need some fresh air.”

“Do you want me to go with you?” Emma suggested.

“No, no! I’ll be fine… I guess I just got a tad woozy, that’s all.”

Quickly, Leia left, snatching Henry’s phone, which he was holding behind him, on the way out. David saw this exchange go down and was frowning as he watched her leave.

“Woozy, huh?” David muttered under his breath.

When Lizzie left the building, she ran down the street to the nearest corner and took out Henry’s phone, pressing the call button on Leia’s contact.

“Hello?”

“What’s happened?”

“Lizzie, it’s awful!” Leia cried, “Dad wants to move to London.”

“London!!” Lizzie exclaimed, “Was it that deal to expand the company?”

“Yes and he wants to go the minute college starts.”

“Well I’ve got a real crisis over here and I’m pretty desperate,” Lizzie said, breathing heavily.

“What’s up?” Leia asked.

“Walsh proposed to mum!” 

“Did she say yes?”

“No, she said she’d think about it.”

“Then if we have any hope of getting mom and dad back together, we’ve got to do it fast and I mean  _ really _ fast.”

“Okay…” Lizzie nodded, “Mum, Henry, and I are going to the cinema tonight. I’ll tell her afterwards.”

“You know the drill; get her to Storybrooke,” Leia reminded her, “Robin and I have already convinced dad to go as a family vacation, but you’ve got to hurry.”

“I will!” Lizzie said, hanging up the phone and running back to the apartment, only she was immediately pushed back by someone, not even thinking to changing her accent back to Leia’s, “Oh! I’m terribly sorry-,” Lizzie looked up and saw the face of a concerned grandfather, “Uh oh…”

“Yeah,” David said, nodding, “Now… how about you and I take a little walk in the park, shall we?”

“Okay…” Lizzie said, taking her grandfather’s arm.

They waited for the light to turn green and began to cross the street.

“Now,” David began, “Tell me what this is all about.”

“Actually,” Lizzie said timidly, “It’s quite a long story.”

“Central park is quite a big park. I’m sure we’ve got plenty of time.”

It seemed like merely an hour later, David and Lizzie had made a full circle, coming back to the nearest end of the park to their building. By then, Lizzie had told her grandfather everything. She told him how she met Leia at camp, how they fought with each other, how they found out they were twins, and how they were able to execute this whole plan for the slightest chance they could see their family back together again.

“You did all of this just to get your parents together?” David asked.

“This means a lot to Leia and I,” Lizzie said, “and now it’s about to go down the drain if mum says yes to Walsh.”

“So I’m guessing she told you,” Walsh said, suddenly interrupting their conversation.

Of course he showed up, why does he always show up, Lizzie complained in her mind.

“Yes, she did,” David answered, sticking his hands back in his pockets, “I suppose I should leave you two to talk… I’m going back to the apartment… and Leia, you know what you have to do when you get back.”

“But grandpa-.”

“No buts.”

“What does she have to do?” Walsh asked, laughing.

“Dishes,” David said, excusing himself from the conversation.

Walsh walked beside Lizzie as they headed towards a park bench. Lizzie took a quick seat and Walsh sat next to her, leaving a moment of awkward silence between them. At this point, it was clear that neither of them liked the other. 

“I guess… the news of my proposal came as a bit of a shock,” Walsh finally said.

Lizzie nodded. “Basically.”

Walsh sighed. “You know… I remember what it was like to be seventeen… the weight of the world on your shoulders. But sooner or later, you’re going to understand what it’s like to be in love, and I mean really in love.”

“Me?” Lizzie asked, raising her eyebrows, “I still gotta deal with drunk horny college boys before I deal with love.”

“Yes, I suppose you’re right,” Walsh said, “but being in love is like… a fantastic mystery… it takes two people and turns their connection into a-.”

“Imma stop you right there,” Lizzie said, crossing her arms, “I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but I know exactly what you see in my mom.”

“You do?”

“Sure! She’s young and beautiful and sexy and you’re only human… but a marriage should be based on something more than just sex, right?”

Walsh sat back, smirking at her. “Boy, your family underestimates you.”

“But you won’t,” Lizzie said, mimicking him, “Will you, Walsh?”

“Being attracted to a young and beautiful woman is not a crime, you know,” Walsh said, suddenly harsh, “and for your information, I adore your mother. She is exactly the kind of woman I always planned on marrying. This is the real deal here and nothing you can say or do is going to come between us. I hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but you and your brother are no longer the only love in Emma’s life. Get over it.”

“If this is the real deal…” Lizzie mused, “then my mom would have said yes already, right? She wouldn’t have to hold back because of her reservations about you using her for her federal status.”

“Okay, punk,” Walsh said, scooting closer and getting up in Lizzie’s face, “You listen and you listen good. Your mother is going to marry me whether you like it or not, so I suggest you do not tangle with me anymore. You are in WAY over your head… is that clear?”

Lizzie got up from the park bench and straightened out her clothes before looking back at him over her shoulder.

“Crystal,” she answered, before walking away, but she stopped and turned back, giving him an ice cold stare, “and nobody calls me punk but my mom.”

When Lizzie got back to the apartment, she knew exactly what had to be done. She couldn’t very well let this man, who just chewed her out, marry her own mother. Not to mention, that so-called declaration of his love for Emma didn’t seem very loving to Lizzie. Something had to be done about it and the only way to get her mom to go to Storybrooke was to tell her the truth.

“You can do it,” Henry whispered as Lizzie stood outside her mom’s bedroom door. 

He patted her on the back and she stumbled in through the door while Emma was still on the phone.

“Okay, then we can track the cell phone and then track the licence plate number in case the phone is a burner,” Emma said into the phone, “We’ll get this guy, don’t you worry… Alright. We’ll regroup later. See ya.” She hung up the phone and placed it on her bedside table. “Hey Leia, come in. I’m about to finish up here and take a shower then how about you and I get lost in Times Square for a bit, hm?”

Lizzie got onto the bed under the covers next to her mother. “I can’t,” Lizzie said, “I have to go out of town…”

“Oh you do?” Emma asked, grinning and raising an eyebrow, “and where might you be going?”

Lizzie didn’t know how to say it, so she just looked at her mother blankly. It almost brought her to tears thinking of how upset Emma was going to be when she finally said it. The thought of her time being over with her mom, who was so gracious and fun-loving, would be over in a matter of hours.

“Leia…?” Emma whispered, placing her hand on her daughter’s cheek.

“That’s where I have to go…” Lizzie said, shedding a tear, “I have to go see Leia…”

Emma frowned and tilted her head, trying to make herself laugh about it. “I see… and where might Leia be?”

Lizzie drew in a deep breath and switched back to her own authentic British accent. “In Nantucket… with her father, Killian Jones...”

Emma’s face suddenly sank, her mouth dropping open and her green eyes stretching wide. She immediately turned to the open door and saw Henry and David, standing there, nodding at her. She turned back to Lizzie.

“You’re not Leia…” she breathed.

“Aye,” Lizzie nodded.

Emma gasped and placed her two hands on Lizzie’s face while Lizzie watching the tears form in her mother’s red eyes. “You’re Lizzie?” she cried, throwing one hand to her mouth.

“I am,” Lizzie sobbed, “Leia and I actually met at camp… and when we figured it all out, who we were and all, we decided to switch places… I’m sorry… but I had never seen you and I’ve dreamt of meeting you my whole life. Leia felt the same way about father, so we switched identities…” Emma pressed her lips together, but not once did she look away from her daughter, “I hope you’re not mad because… I love you so much… and I hope that one day you can love me as me and not as Leia…”

Emma sighed, tears falling rapidly down her face. “Lizzie… I’ve loved you... your whole life… and ever since you left… it’s been like a whole in my heart.”

Lizzie burst into sobs, something she hadn’t done in years, and fell into her mother’s arms. From outside the open door, Mary-Margaret was sobbing in David’s arms, making both of them look up at her.

“I’m sorry,” Mary-Margaret said, wiping away her tears, “I’ve just never been so happy in my entire life.”

As the grandmother broke out into sobs, Henry awkwardly laughed and closed the doors, suddenly cheering up both women in the bed. Lizzie wiped away her own tears and sniffed once before finally speaking.

“So… I guess you have to unswitch us now,” Lizzie said.

Emma nodded. “Well…  _ technically _ ,  you belong to your dad and Leia belongs to me.”

“His and hers kids?” Lizzie asked, rolling her eyes, feeling more tears falling, “No offense, mum, this arrangement really sucks.”

Emma laughed through her sobbing at how uncharacteristically British that sounded with her voice, as if hearing her true accent lit up her heart. “I agree, it totally sucks.”

“Then I say we go to Storybrooke,” Lizzie suggested, “Leia and dad are already there for a trip together… we can go and work this whole thing out.”

“I say you’re right,” Emma said, pulling her daughter in and hugging her close as Lizzie closed her eyes, hearing her mother’s heartbeat through her chest, “Don’t even worry about it, Lizzie. I’ll take care of everything.”


	8. Chapter 8

Emma emerged from her closet to see her parents who were sitting on the bed. Her hair was a complete mess in a ponytail, looking sleep deprived and scared out of her wits.

“I’m sorry…” Emma panicked, “but I can’t handle this… I mean, I haven’t seen or heard from Killian Jones in over seventeen years and now I’m travelling all the way to Storybrooke…” She let out a loud groan, “I’m not ready for this! I mean, if he didn’t frustrate me so much, I’d still be married to him. But we came up with this arrangement so we’d never have to see each other again,” Emma took a shirt from her father’s hands that he handed her from one of her drawers as she took it and threw it into the suitcase. She groaned once again and turned sharply to her parents, “I mean look at me! Have you ever seen me like this?” With bags under her red eyes and her hair in a complete mess, both of her parents opened their mouths to speak, “Don’t answer that…” Emma marched back into her closet, “What if he doesn’t recognize me!? No… don’t answer that either… but… Lizzie said that Killian’s… well, dashing? Yeah, he was attractive from what I remember. He had that stupid devilish half smile that made me go weak at the knees…”

“Okay!” Lizzie announced as she walked into the room, completely dressed with a smile on her face, “I’m all set, mum.”

“Me too!” Emma cheered, then looked at the mess that lead from her closet, connected to her drawers, and lead all the way to her suitcase with three shirts in it, “Almost…”

“Mum…” Lizzie said, “Your suitcase is nearly empty.”

“Oh yeah… right,” Emma said, blinking several times and picking up things from the floor, “Uh did you talk to your dad?”

“Aye!” Lizzie lied, “I just got off the phone with him. He said he’s very anxious to see you.”

“Anxious nervous like he’s totally dreading it?” Emma asked nervously, “Or anxious excited like he’s looking forward to it?”

“Oh! Anxious excited for sure,” Lizzie said. Henry was listening in nearby and was laughing at how much of a talented liar Lizzie was when it came to charming people into believing her. Very Killian, he thought, “He said he’ll meet us at Granny’s for lunch at 12:30 tomorrow.”

“Wow, that’s really soon,” Emma muttered, “W-Why don’t you get the tickets from your sis-I mean, brother at his place upstairs?”

“Got it,” Lizzie said, leaving her mother’s room.

She was immediately met by Henry. “Liar, liar, pants on fire,” he whispered.

“Oh shut it,” Lizzie whispered back.

“Everything else is set, then?” Emma asked, “We’ll stay at your old place until Monday?”

“All set,” Mary-Margaret answered.

About an hour later, the yellow bug was dragged out of an underground parking garage and parked on the side of the street. When Emma, Henry, and Lizzie had all their things packed into the trunk and back seat, Emma was saying her goodbyes to her parents.

“Are you sure you don’t wanna come?” Emma asked, practically begging.

“Emma, you can do this on your own,” Mary-Margaret assured them.

“I agree, you just switch them back, maybe have one family dinner, and then you’re back to use in no time,” David added.

“Okay…” Emma breathed, “Wish me luck.”

“Good luck!” David called as Emma got into the driver’s seat of the car.

David and Mary-Margaret turned around, David opening his arms up to Lizzie.

“Goodbye grandfather,” Lizzie said, then turned to her mother, “Goodbye grandmother.”

“Goodbye, sweetheart,” Mary-Margaret whispered.

“Now you’re coming to Nantucket for Thanksgiving, right?” Lizzie asked.

“Of course!” David answered.

“We wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Mary-Margaret said, “Plus, I’ll be the one doing all the cooking.”

Lizzie laughed and hugged them one last time before running to the car.

“Oh! Say hello to your dad for us!” David called.

“I will!” Lizzie called back as she opened the car door and hopped in the backseat next to all the luggage. 

A black car and a yellow bug drive from Nantucket and New York City all the way to a small town in Maine by the coast. The car that arrived just minutes before the other was the black car with Killian, Leia, Robin, Roland, and a cage carrying Peter Pan. When they parked in front of the clock tower, Belle, the librarian, emerged.

“Killian!” Belle shouted, “What an unexpected surprise!”

“It’s good to see you, dear,” Killian said, hugging the woman, then turning to his daughter, “Lizzie, I have the honor of introducing you to my closest friend while I was in Storybrooke; Belle French.”

“Hi!” Leia said sweetly, “It’s so nice to meet you.”

“You can call me Aunt Belle,” Belle said, walking up to hug the girl, “Killian, she’s gotten so big!”

“She’s seventeen and one hell of a captain, just like her father,” Killian boasted.

“It’s so good to see all of you,” Belle said, “Robin and Roland as well… and… a cat?”

“Peter Pan,” Killian said, rolling his eyes, “Lizzie insisted on bringing the little demon with us.”

“Nonsense!” Belle laughed, “He’s a little cutie. Good thing the old apartment building is still up and running with a new elevator, a pool space out back, and everything. It’s a great place for you to stay.”

The yellow bug crossed the town line next, but it drove right past the center of the town and ended up in front of Regina’s house. Henry was the one driving the car, since Emma decided she needed to stop and stock up on rum if she was going to survive this trip. Henry walked around to the passenger seat and opened the door, pulling his mom out of the car.

“Wow!” Emma said, trying to keep her balance, “You know, that was a great trip. It was SO quick.”

“To be honest, mom, I’ve never seen you so thirsty before,” Henry said, trying not to laugh.

“Believe it or not, Hen, I’ve never had that much rum before,” she giggled.

Regina came emerging from the door of her house and quickly ran to Henry, squeezing him as tight as she could, but her happiness was quickly broken when she saw a stumbling Emma in front of her.

“Emma?” Regina asked.

“Regina!” Emma gasped, giving her a sloppy hug.

Regina’s eyes got even wider when she saw Lizzie. “Leia?”

“Lizzie,” Lizzie corrected.

“But-.”

“As you can tell,” Henry said, “This is a very nerve-wracking day for everyone.”

“I’ll say,” Regina frowned, “Come on, Miss Swan. We’re taking you to your parents place. Thank god they installed an elevator so we don’t have to drag her upstairs.”

“Come on kiddos!” Emma cheered as they started to leave, “Let’s rock and roll.”

“I am in so much trouble…” Lizzie whispered to herself.

Meanwhile, Belle walked Killian, Leia, Robin, and Roland to the entrance of the building.

“Great, so we’ll meet up for lunch later and then I can show you guys all the new things that’s been going on around town,” Belle said excitedly.

Suddenly the cage that was carrying Peter Pan opened and the cat sprung from it.

“Peter!” Leia yelled, immediately dashing after him.

“Leia, wait!” Robin yelled much too quickly for Killian to even hear what he was saying, Roland following after them.

“Fantastic,” Killian said, “I haven’t had a Granny’s grilled cheese in a while.”

They said their goodbyes and Killian walked into the lobby of the apartments, noticing how they took advantage of the vintage decor for the lobby.

Regina, dragging Emma with Henry’s help, pushed open the door and went to the front desk, grabbing a spare key to the apartment. Then they went to one of the two elevator doors and pushed the up button, the doors opening immediately.

“Whoops!” Emma said, stumbling out of the elevator.

“Where are you going?” Regina asked.

“I forgot the spare key,” Emma said, walking back to the front desk.

Peter Pan stopped in his tracks as Robin and Leia ran after him to the lobby and meowed loudly, causing Lizzie to turn around. She gasped at the sight of him.

“Peter!!” she screamed as the cat ran into the elevator and rubbed his head against her neck.

“Lizzie?” Robin called.

“Robin?” Lizzie called back.

She stood up, carrying the cat as the elevator doors closed. Emma turned around, carrying the spare key and ran into Leia.

“Mom!” Leia shouted, suddenly coughing from the smell of her mother’s breath.

“You didn’t have to wait for me,” Emma said, squeezing Leia’s cheek, “I’m actually to go out for a bit of fresh air. I’ll meet you upstairs.”

Emma staggered away and Leia turned back to Robin. “She’s drunk! My mother has never had THAT much to drink in her entire life and she chooses TODAY of all days to show up totally wasted!?”

“Well, you heard your mother,” Robin said, “Let’s meet her upstairs.”

Robin guided Roland and Leia to the same elevator that opened for them. Just as the door closed, Killian walked into the next elevator and pressed the button. Once he looked up, he suddenly saw Emma Swan, standing there looking totally out of her wits, but slightly happy as she faked a smile and waved at him. Killian’s heart started racing as he tried to step out of the elevator, but the door closed on him before he could get to her. 

Emma, feeling a little bit better, marched up the stairs to the second floor, then barged right into her parents loft using the spare key she had.

“Lizzie Jones!” she yelled.

Suddenly, both girls emerged on either side of her, both dressed VERY similarly.

“Oh god, I can’t do this today, I’m already seeing double,” Emma whined.

“It’s me, mom…” Leia said, “It’s Leia.”

Emma gasped and reached towards her, “Leia!”

As they embraced, Emma reached out her other arm for her other daughter and hugged them both, then stepped back, keeping one hand on each of their shoulders, beaming at them.

“Oh… my two girls... “ Emma said, “You’re really together… but how could you do this to me!?”

“It’s quite a long story,” Robin said, stepping into view, “Why don’t we have a cup of tea or coffee and talk it over… Hi, Emma. You probably don’t remember me-.”

“Robin!” Emma said, giving Robin a hug.

He nodded to himself and muttered, “I knew I always liked her.”

After a cup of coffee, Emma started pacing the room while the two girls sat on the couch, looking as though they were about to get the punishment of their lives.

“One of you… although I’m not quite sure which one of you… told me your dad knew I was going to be here today,” Emma said harshly, “and I’m here to tell you that the man I saw down there had absolutely no idea that he and I were on the same planet, let alone in the same building.”

“You saw dad already?” Leia asked.

“Yes, I did,” Emma said before throwing herself into an arm chair, “He looked at me like I was the freaking ghost of christmas past or something. Don’t you think I’ve thought about what it would be like to see your dad after all these years… let me tell you, me waving like a drunken idiot was not the way I pictured this going. Not one bit.”

“Feeling any better?” Regina asked as she came down the stairs, “Maybe now we can actually talk like civil adults.”

Her marching was stopped as she came face to face with Robin Hood, who was carrying an extra cup of tea for his son.

“Hello…” Regina said quietly.

“Hello to you…” Robin said.

“Robin,” Emma said, “This is the mayor of Storybrooke, Henry’s mother, and Leia’s god-mother, Regina.”

“Well,” Robin sighed, holding the cup out to her, “It’s certainly a pleasure to meet you.”

Regina took the cup and smiled at him, “The pleasure’s all mine…”

“Girls!” Emma said, standing up furiously, “You’re going to tell me why you’ve brought me here without telling your father!”

“Mom…” Leia said gently, “Dad might have to move to London…”

Emma gasped and sank back down into the chair.

“It’s all wrong for him, mum,” Lizzie continued, “and the only way he won’t leave all the way across the atlantic… is if he saw you again…”

“Hold it!” Emma snapped, “You two aren’t trying to set me up with your father, are you?”

“Actually… we are,” Lizzie answered. 

“You two are perfect for each other!” Leia insisted.

“Hang on,” Emma said, looking at Henry who was leaning up against the wall, not saying a single thing this whole time, “You knew about this, didn’t you.”

Henry shrugged, “Well… yeah, I did. It was a sweet idea.”

“Okay, okay,” Emma said, pulling herself up again and straightening out her clothes, “Let me make something absolutely clear… Killian Jones and I have absolutely nothing in common! … anymore. Besides, if you haven’t noticed, I am tied up in trying to decide whether or not I want to get engaged to another man or not, so one of you needs to tell your father that I am here for one purpose and one purpose only, which is to switch the two of you back. Now let’s do what we have to do and be done with it. Understood?”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. I'm sad to say that I've been getting a bit of hate on FF over this story. It baffles me how harsh people are to judge me as a writer based on mistakes I've made in one story out of dozens that I have written on that site. A few have been constructive, and I appreciate that so much, but others have been very nasty. That being said, I'm going to delete that story off of FF and keep it on here, since your reviews have been much nicer and positive and constructive. This is such a friendly community and I would like to thank you all for being so sweet.

Killian Jones was sure he just saw a ghost; a ghost he vowed never to see again for fear of falling back into the same habits he tried to escape. He exited his loft and started to head down to the elevator, perhaps to go to the bar and blow off some steam with some more rum. As he closed the door, he saw Leia walking towards him.

“Lizzie, darling,” Killian called, “Do the loft a favor and make sure that demon doesn’t do anything to keep us from never being invited back.”

“Okay,” Leia said.

“Oh! Lizzie?”

“Yes, father?”

“How do I look?”

“You look great dad. As devilishly handsome as ever.”

“Perfect!”

He grabbed his daughter and kissed her forehead before going off down the elevator. When the doors open, he was met by his daughter once again, who gasped at the sight of him. “Dad!”

“Lizzie? I thought you were upstairs.”

Lizzie frowned, then quickly thought up a lie, “Yes! That’s why I was on my way up there...” Killian sighed with relief before being attacked by a hug from Lizzie, “It’s great to see you.”

Killian laughed, rubbing his daughter’s back, “It’s great to see you too, sailor.” Suddenly he frowned as he looked at what she was wearing, noticing it was different. Perhaps he truly was losing his mind after all, “Nice outfit…”

“Thanks!” Lizzie said with a giggle.

“Well go on, then, sailor,” Killian jokes, patting her on the back.

Killian passed her and headed out towards The Rabbit Hole while Lizzie stayed there, pressing the up button on the elevator. When the doors open, Lizzie stepped in. As they closed, the other doors opened and Leia stepped out. The door opened to the building and Walsh entered, suddenly frowning when he saw who was standing there.

“Leia,” Walsh spat.

Leia turned around. “Are you talkin to me?”

“Yes, who else would I be talking to,” Walsh snorted, crossing his arms, “Now why did I think your mother wouldn’t bring you all this way? I should have known better.”

“Oh!” Leia said, nodding her head, “Walsh. What are you doing here?”

“Why do you think?” Walsh said angrily, “Where is your mother?”

“Ooh… well… you just missed her,” Leia lied, looking around and suddenly feeling very shaky, “I think she went that way.”

She pointed the same way her father just went, hoping he would buy it. Walsh raised his eyebrows. “Ugh. Now you’re breaking your rotten streak and being nice to me?”

“Honest,” Leia said, nodding several times, “I saw my parent go in that direction.”

Walsh sighed, rolling his eyes. “Well, when you see her, tell her that her fiancé has arrived.” He walked out slamming the door behind him.

“Whatever you say, Jabba,” she muttered to herself, feeling mighty proud of her own Star Wars reference before continuing on her way down to the pool outside.

Walsh arrived to the nearest bar he could find; The Rabbit Hole. Once he sat down, he noticed another rather distressed looking man sitting a few seats down from him.

“What can I get you, sir?” the bartender asked.

“Any rum you have left,” Killian sighed, rubbing his forehead, “I feel like I’m seeing things today.”  
“Sure thing,” the bartender responded.

He pulled out a small glass and a bottle behind him, pouring it less than half full before pushing it towards him. Killian took the glass and looked around, finding Walsh beside him.

“Here’s to you,” he said, “May your life be far less complicated than mine.”

Walsh grinned. “Thank you.” The bartender approached Walsh, took his order, then started on it while pushing Killian’s bill towards him. Once he signed it, he pushed it towards the bartender. Walsh slightly looked over at the signature, then looked up in complete shock. “You are Killian Jones…”

Killian turned over, frowning, but nodded, “Aye.”

“Wow! I can’t believe I’m meeting one of the best boat realtors and manager of one of the best fishing companies in New England,” Walsh said, “I wanted to see if I could look into renting one of your more vintage boats for my wedding.”

“A las, I’m on vacation with my daughter now, so I can’t be bothered with business,” Killian said, “However, we can surely talk once I return to my port.”

“It’s fate,” Walsh clapped, holding out his hand to Killian, “I’m Walsh.”

In order to escape the torment of business, Killian started to wonder away back to the apartment building, walking towards the new pool facility out back, hoping to focus on something else. Yet, everywhere he turned he kept waiting to see Emma again, wondering if it was real or not. Each time he saw a blonde person sitting on the pool deck, he would squint and get closer until he realized he was just seeing things again. Robin saw his wandering about and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Killian,” Robin called, “Are you alright, mate?”

“Yes,” Killian answered, “I seem to be fine,” but the moment he said so, he looked to the stairs leading to the lobby and saw Emma again, looking around for something, or someone. Turns out that after seventeen years, Emma still had the power to strike him down completely, “Perhaps I’m not so fine after all.”

Killian began staggering about, pushing past residents as he tried to reach Emma. 

“Dad!” Leia shouted, “Watch out!”

He didn’t even realize that he was walking along the edge of the pool, but one sway to the left and he was losing his balance and fell straight into the water. Emma immediately saw this and gasped, looking around to see if she could find a way to escape, but she saw the look on Leia’s face, the face that told her to quit running away from things. She bit the inside of her cheek as she watched Killian swim to the stairs, then stand up, finally seeing each other face-to-face while he was completely soaked in water.

“Hello Emma…”

“Hello Killian…” she said, her fear melting into butterflies, “Well… there you are.”

As Killian started to squeeze the water out of his clothes, he asked, “Is there something going on that I should know about? Because I am stunned to see you… but you don’t seem as stunned to see me.”

“Dad…” Leia said, approaching her father with her Lizzie accent, “I can explain why she’s here.”

“Lizzie,” Killian said, “Do you… do you know who this is?”

Leia nodded. “Actually… I do, and,” she switched to her usual accent, “actually, I’m not Lizzie.”

Lizzie, who was coming up behind Killian, stood beside her sister. “Actually, I am.”

Killian almost lost his breath seeing two of the same beautiful and grown woman standing side-by-side.

“B-Both of them…?” he muttered

“I guess you and mom kind of think alike,” Leia said, “because you both sent us to the same camp and we met there, so the whole thing sorta… exploded.”

“Killian,” Emma said, “They switched places on us.”

“You mean…” Killian breathed, “I’ve had Leia with me all this time?”

“Well I wanted to know what you were like,” Leia explained, “and Lizzie wanted to know what mom was like… are you angry?”

“Of course not,” Killian said, a smile growing bigger and bigger on his face, “I just can’t believe it’s you.”

Leia smiled, more tears falling down her face as she hugged her father.

“Look at you,” Killian chuckled, “I should have known, you’re all emotional like your mother.”  
“I am not _that_ emotional,” Emma defended, which caused all three of her family members to glare at her.

“Well I’m gonna be 18 soon,” Leia said, “and… It’s pretty weird not having a father through it all.”

“Not to mention, I’ll be going into University without a mother to fight with,” Lizzie whined.

“Elizabeth, you’ve been in New York all this time?” Killian asked. Lizzie nodded, slightly afraid of what he was going to say, but he opened his arms and grinned, “Get over here, you bloody sailor.” 

Lizzie giggled and jumped into her dad’s arms. “Mum’s amazing, dad… I don’t know how you ever let her go…”

“Girls,” Emma sighed, “Can you leave your dad and I alone to talk for a minute?”

“For sure,” both girls said, crossing their arms and raising their eyebrows with that same devilish grin they inherited from their father.

As they turned and left, Emma and Killian laughed, taking a seat on one of the lounge chairs as she passed him a towel.

“They walk like you,” Killian chuckled, “All high and mighty like they can conquer anything.”

“But they’re tricksters, and charming ones too,” Emma said, shaking her head, “I wonder where they got that from.”

“Honestly, I’m still not sure this is real,” he said, shaking his head, “Seeing them together… and seeing you…” Emma pressed her lips together and tried staring at the floor to avoid eye-contact, “How are you, Swan? Or do people call you Emma now.”

“You were the only one who ever called me Swan, Hook,” Emma teased.

“Ah,” Killian sighed, “One of the perks of having both hands back. No more nicknames like One Handed Jones.” Emma grinned and for once, their eyes actually met. His blue against her green. He instinctively moved closer to her, not even realizing in the moment what he was doing, “You know… you haven’t changed a bit, Swan.”

“Finally! There you are!” Walsh said loudly as he approached the scene. Both Emma and Killian turned their heads towards him. 

“Walsh!” Emma stammered, “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I-I’m here to surprise you…?” Walsh hesitated. The sight that Walsh was seeing got him a little bit lost for words, “Oh… good! You’ve met. Sweetheart, did you know that Captain Jones rents out his ships in a port in Nantucket-... I’m sorry, did I miss something?”

“You’re in business with my boyfriend?” Emma asked.

“You have a boyfriend?” Killian asked, “We met at the Rabbit Hole, he wanted to know if he could rent out one of my ships as a wedding venue.”

“A wedding venue? Walsh, we’re not even officially engaged.”

“What? So you’re unofficially engaged to this guy?” Killian said.

“Son of a bitch,” Emma groaned, “This is one small world.”

“How small?” Walsh snapped.

“Hi Walsh,” Leia said, walking up to the left side of him.

Walsh gave Leia the side eye, “Hello…”

“What’s going on, Walsh?” Lizzie greeted, coming up from the right side.

Walsh shouted in horror as he looked between the two girls, nearly shaking and wondering if he was going insane or not. 

“Hey Walsh,” Emma grinned, “Did I ever mention to you that Leia’s a twin?”

“You know what?” Walsh said, shaking his head, trying his very hardest to remain completely calm, “I don’t think it ever came up.”

“Don’t feel bad, Walsh,” Leia chimed, “She never told me either. By the way, I’m the real Leia. This lovely lady is my sister, Lizzie. She was pretending to me while I was pretending to be her.”

“And this,” Lizzie said, pointing to Killian, “Is our father, Killian Jones.”

“This,” Walsh fumed, “Is your father?”

“Yes,” both girls replied.

Walsh turned to Killian, a stern expression on his face, “You were married to her?”

Emma tried to laugh it off as they both nodded, Killian almost shamefully.

“Well, well, this is a small world,” Walsh mumbled.

“And getting smaller,” Emma muttered back.

“And what a coincidence that we’re all here in Storybrooke on the same weekend,” Walsh said, feigning his happiness just a little too hard, “Isn’t that just… sweet?”


	10. Chapter 10

Before things would get crazy again, Leia and Lizzie convinced Emma and Killian to have at least one meal together as a big happy family before things would go back to normal. The girls were VERY explicit with their instructions; dress nice. They all met up in the lobby of the building. Emma and Leia were the first ones to step out of the elevator. Emma was wearing a smashing red dress with her hair tied up in a bun  while Leia was in a dress with a white lace top and a pink skirt, her hair finally flowing down, free and curly like it always is.

“Come on, punk,” Emma said, playfully pushing Leia’s shoulder, “You’ve frightened me enough times in the last few days. Just tell me where we’re going?”

“I can’t!” Leia exclaimed, “That would ruin the surprise! I promise, this is one you’ll like.”

Killian and Lizzie were the next ones to step out of the elevator. Lizzie was in a dress with a sparkly silver top and a navy blue skirt. Killian topped off his outfit with his classic leather jacket; the same jacket Emma saw on their first date. In fact, when she saw him walk out of the elevator, it gave her the exact same feeling she felt when she opened that door and lost her breath at the mere sight of him. Killian, meanwhile, was feeling just as breathless as always whenever he sees Emma.

“You look lovely, Swan,” Killian marveled.

“Thank you,” Emma beamed, then leaned in to whisper to him, “Do you have any idea where they’re taking us?”

“Not a clue,” Killian answered.

“Of course,” she sighed, crossing her arms.

The family walked a little ways down to the docks. What Emma and Killian saw when they reached the end of the dock scared them both to no end. It was the Jolly Roger itself directly in front of them, except it was covered in hanging lights with a table in the middle. When the family boarded the ship, they got a closer look at the place settings.

“There’s only two place settings,” Emma said, trying to hide her blushing face.

“That’s the other part of the surprise,” Lizzie smirked, “We’re not joining you.”

Killian chuckled, but then stopped when he realized neither of his girls nor Emma were laughing, “You’re not?”

“Mood music, Leia,” Lizzie queued.

Leia pulled out a remote from behind clutch purse and hit play, a slowly gentle guitar playing in the back from a stereo in the corner. Slowly the girls started to peel away and sneak off to Granny’s, where Regina and Robin were waiting for them. After pouring some champagne, they stood at the side of the ship, looking out into the open sea.

“You’re going to hate me when I tell you this,” Emma warned, “but I haven’t been on a boat since our wedding.”

“No?” Killian asked, raising an eyebrow, “Funny, I feel like I haven’t been off a boat since our wedding.”

They both let out a soft laugh, which made them both look up at each other, the light of the moon making the reflection of the water light their faces perfectly.

“Well,” Killian said, raising his glass, “Here’s to…”

“Our daughters,” Emma stated.

“Our daughters,” Killian repeated. They clinked their glasses and took a little sip. Killian continued on, “Perhaps, now that we’re alone, we can discuss what happened… with us. It did end very quickly.”

“It started just as fast,” Emma remarked.

“You don’t need to remind me,” Killian smirked, “I’ve found it difficult to forget.”

“So…” Emma gulped, backing away and taking a place at the table, “You’ve really got a life for yourself. You’re selling and renting out boats and fishing now?”

“And you,” Killian added, sitting in the other chair, “You’ve one of New York’s finest unless I’ve been misinformed.”

“Yeah…” Emma beamed, “We both, actually, made really good lives for ourselves, didn’t we…”

“Aye, we sure did…”

“Anyway,” Emma coughed before changing the subject once more to avoid long awkward pauses where they have the opportunity to stare lovingly into each other’s eyes, “What are we going to do about the girls? We’ve only got one year left with them before college.”

“Now that they’ve met, we can’t just keep them apart,” Killian stated, “Maybe I could keep them for half the year and then you could keep them for another half-.”

“That wouldn’t work,” Emma discouraged, “They need to finish at their schools now if they’re ever going to get into good colleges… and we can’t just trade them off by year, then one of us wouldn’t get to see them for an entire year.”

“I suppose…” Killian sighed, “that is why we came up with this arrangement.”

“Really?” Emma snorted, “I thought it was because we decided never to see each other ever again.”

“We?” Killian asked.

“I guess… that part’s a little bit fuzzy to me.”

There was a long pause as they started to eat their food, not looking at each other. But once they finished, Killian broke the silence.

“Do you even remember the day you packed?”

“Yes,” Emma nodded, “That day I remember perfectly… did I hurt you when I threw that thing at you… what was that?”

“It was… a hair dryer.”

“Oh… right… sorry about that….”

“You know, I may never be alone with you again,” Killian began, “So about the day that you left… why’d you do it?”

“Killian…” Emma said quietly, “You know why… we were so young and impulsive and we had literally just cheated death, so we felt like we could conquer anything… but we were wrong and we said some stupid things until it got out of hand… and so I packed… took my yellow bug over the town line and… you didn’t come after me.”

“I didn’t know that you wanted me to.”

Emma shrugged, shaking her head and throwing her napkin down on her plate. “Well that doesn’t matter anymore. Let’s just figure out what we’re going to do about the girls and get back to our lives…”

Killian nodded, raising his glass once more. “Agreed.”

As he took that final sip of champagne, he had almost wished he didn’t agree to separating once again. After seventeen years, seeing Emma brought a bigger light back into his life. Having Lizzie kept things happy, but having Emma, the greatest love of his life, find her way back into his life, was suddenly a beautiful thing. But she had a boyfriend who clearly wanted to get married to her. So while agreeing was the right thing to do, he really wished he hadn’t agreed at all. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! I am so sorry it's been a while since I last updated. I know I promised this would be a daily thing, but I can now officially disclose to all of you that I have been diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I've had a busy and challenging last couple of weeks, which is why I find it hard to have time to post chapter updates, so I'm sorry for keeping you all waiting.

Emma and Killian were down in the lobby doing some last minute adjustments as they returned the spare keys to two of the lofts. They were standing side-by-side, but didn’t even look at each other.

“So I will send Lizzie to you over Christmas,” Killian stated.

“And Leia will spend Easter with you,” Emma finished, “No matter what side of the atlantic you’re on.”

They both turned and looked at each other, giving each other a small smile and a nod as the elevator bell rang. When the doors opened, Leia and Lizzie emerged, both wearing black tank top with their hair up, sunglasses in, jeans, brown boots, and one had on a green and black plaid shirt tied around her waist, the other had on a blue and black plaid shirt tied around her waist. They walked out with grins on their faces and hands in their pocket.

“Lizzie, Leia,” Killian said, going into full parent mode, “What are you doing?”

“Here’s the deal, dad,” the American accent twin on the right reported, “We thought it over and we decided we were being totally cheated out.”

“Cheated out?” Emma asked, “On what?”

“The camping trip,” the British accent on the left twin said, “The one we take every year before school starts. We wanna go. Together.”  

“This is nonsense,” Killian said, “Come along, Lizzie.”

The twin on the left grinned and switched accents, “Are you sure I’m Lizzie?”

“But it’s kind of hard to be 100% sure,” the twin of the right said in a British accent, “Isn’t it?”

“Leia!” Emma scolded.

“Yes?” Both girls answered in an American accent.

Emma didn’t want to have to go all Private Investigator on her own daughters, but it was the only way to figure it out. One of them was lying about their identity in this moment when they both answered to Leia. She looked both her girls in the eye, then turned to the one in the green and black plaid. 

“This one’s Leia,” Emma said with a nod, “I’m sure of it.”

“You know, I hope you’re right, mom,” the twin said with an American accent, “Because you’d hate to send the wrong kid all the way back to Nantucket.”

“Would you?” the other twin said in the same exact voice.

Emma sighed and stood back up, placing her hands on her hips. “Alright, what do you want?”

“We all go stay here in Storybrooke,” one twin said a British accent, “and the four of us go camping together.”

“The four of us?” Killian asked, “What of Robin and Roland?”

“They said it was fine,” another twin said in the same accent, “Robin said he wanted to spend more time exploring the town.”

“Something tell me that’s not all he’s exploring,” Emma muttered.

“When we get back, we’ll tell you who’s Lizzie and who’s Leia.”

“Or,” Killian barked, “I take one of you back to Nantucket with me whether you like it or not.”

It didn’t take much convincing after that, but of course, the girls were as charming, clever, and manipulative as ever. So the girls took spare camping supplies from one of the stores and threw it into their trunks. One who had begun to leave for New York was Walsh, who walked out of the building and was immediately furious when Emma told him what was going on.

“And what do you expect me to do for three days?” Walsh spat, “Sit home in New York and knit waiting for you?”

“Walsh…” Emma explained, “It’s kind of a sticky situation.”

“What does that even mean?” Walsh barked.

Stepping outside, carrying a couple more bags on his shoulders was Killian Jones, automatically wishing he didn’t have to walk in on this moment, but he needed to get one of these bags into the back seat of the bug, as it was Leia’s bag. 

“Excuse me?” Walsh said, frightened, “What on earth is he still doing here?”

Emma stammered, “See, that’s kind of the deal… the four of us go together.”

“Did I walk into an episode of Fuller House? This is ridiculous-.”

“Ahoy there, mate,” Killian greeted as he opened the back door of the car, “Everything alright over here?”

“Well no, actually, it isn’t,” Walsh said bluntly, making Killian stand up, leaning one hand on the bug as they frowned at each other, “I wasn’t aware that you were going on this little trip, and if you want me to be honest, I’m not okay with it.”

“I agree!” Killian said, to literally, everyone’s surprise, “I think the ex-husband sleeping in the next sleeping bag is a little uncomfortable, don’t you think?”

“Thank you,” Walsh said, suddenly full of himself again.

“I insist you come with us,” Killian cheered, “It’ll be fun.”

“Killian…?” Emma quaked.

“No, I’ve done enough to mess up your relationship with him and it’s the least I can do,” Killian offered.

Moments later, Walsh stepped out of the building in sweats, sneakers, and a t-shirt, looking entirely not like himself. By then, Killian had helped the girls transfer all their stuff into the back of David’s old truck that still parked on the street a few blocks back.

“Uh, what is he doing here?” Lizzie asked, both of them stuck in British accents for the time-being.

“Your father invited him,” Emma answered.

Leia threw down her bag into the truck. “What!?”

Emma hushed her girls and brought them together. “Be. Nice.”

Walsh threw his stuff into the truck, then huffed as he got into the passenger seat.

“All set, then?” Killian asked as the girls started to get into the back seat, “Good, have fun you all.”

“What?” both girls mouthed to each other.

Emma did a double take and frowned, “Killian… what are you doing?”

“Well, I really thought this would be a good time for you and Walsh to go on an outing as a family, maybe it might help you out with some, uh,” he coughed, “decision making.”

“Dad, that’s not the plan,” Leia reminded Killian.

“You’ll have much more fun without me,” Killian assured his daughters.

“Well, if you’re not going, then I certainly don’t feel all that comfortable about it,” Walsh warned, “Trust me, I’m not really a nature person.”

“But this would be the  _ perfect _ way for you to spend time with Emma’s daughters,” Killian chimed, “After all, if things go your way… they’re pretty much half yours.”

Emma knew exactly what was going on. She saw that little manipulative charming smirk on his face. It was the same one she saw on her girls’ faces. Judging by how things went the night before, there were two options as to what his plan was. Either he wanted to get out of the camping trip because he hates camping, which he does, or he wanted Emma to see how Walsh would really act around his kids so it would incline her to say no to him. From the looks of the delight on his face, it looked like both. Also judging by their daughters’ faces, it seemed like the bonus prize was punishing them just a little bit with having to spend a week with Walsh in the middle of nowhere. No matter, Emma put on her sunglasses and drove off, just dealing with it anyway.

As the truck drove away, Henry came out with his bags, Regina and Robin following close behind him. When they pieced together what had happened, Regina laughed.

“Oh, I would pay so much to see that man climb a mountain,” she laughed, causing Killian and Robin to laugh at the mere sight of it.

It was as funny as they had imagined. While Emma, Leia, and Lizzie were doing so well, climbing and laughing with each other, Walsh was following behind, constantly out of breath and tired. Eventually, Emma made one of the girls, which just so happened to be Lizzie, follow behind him so he wouldn’t feel like he was being left out. After another 10 minutes of hiking, Walsh plopped down on a rock again, leaving his backpack to the side.

“People actually do this for fun?” he grunted, heavily breathing.

“Hang on!” Emma called to Lizzie, “We’re stopping.”

“Again?” Leia complained, “Mum, we will never get to the campsite at this rate.”

“This isn’t exactly something Walsh has done before,” Emma snapped, “So chill, okay?”

While Emma was talking to Leia, Lizzie was piling rocks into Walsh’s backpack, the man not even thinking twice about looking behind him to see what was happening.

“Someone hand me my water bottle,” Walsh complained, 

“Sure,” Lizzie said, reaching down to grab the bottle attached to the other side of Walsh’s backpack. She stopped suddenly when she saw a little lizard crawling on the ground, “Brilliant,” she whispered, making Leia laugh a little bit.

Lizzie placed the lizard on the water bottle and handed it to him. When Walsh opened it and took a sip, he made eye contact with the little lizard. He let out a loud shout as the lizard scurried from the water bottle onto Walsh’s face, crawling all around him until it jumped right off. Emma immediately ran back.

“What happened?” she asked.

Lizzie picked up the lizard, “This little guy was on his water bottle,” she said sweetly.

Emma sighed and decided to just let it pass. “Girls.”

“What?” they both asked nervously.

“I’m taking the lead,” she said, putting her backpack back on, “The two of you help Walsh out, please.”

“For sure,” they both replied, which made Emma shiver a little bit at how weird that sounded. 

“Sure, you’ll help me,” Walsh muttered, “Right off a cliff, you’ll help me.”

“Not a bad idea,” Leia whispered to Lizzie.

“Aye, see any cliffs?” Lizzie asked, chuckling a little.

Walsh suddenly started to groan as he walked, feeling the immense weight in his bag as he started to complain about it.

“Need hand?” Leia asked.

He turned around, his face hard as stone and red as fire. The girls joked that they could almost see steam coming out of his ears. “Not from either of you. Don’t think I can’t see right through those little grins and sweet dispositions. One more little prank from you and I swear I will make your lives miserable the moment your mother says yes. Got it?”

He slowly stalked away like a giant angry beast, giving Leia the perfect opportunity to say under her breath, “Got it, Jabba.”

Walsh heard that and turned around. “What did you just call me?”

The girls shrugged and started walking ahead of him to catch up with Emma.

“Nothing!” Lizzie insisted, “It’s nothing… Jabba.”

“Oh! by the way,” Leia said, “You should watch out around here. It’s a little slippery.”

Walsh grunted and continued on, ignoring whatever trick they were pulling on him. As he marched on, Leia snapped her fingers and grinned, causing Walsh to immediately slip over nothing and fall on his butt. They laughed and Walsh got up, moving ahead angrily. 


	12. Chapter 12

The girls had set up camp with their mother by a lake. There were two tents set up. One for Leia and Lizzie, the other for Emma and Walsh. The girls got a little bit excited when Emma blew up two air mattresses for her tent instead of just one big one. Lizzie set out on the water and caught a couple of trout for dinner, which Leia helped roast over the fire. They all sat on logs around the fire pit, Leia, Lizzie, and Emma all eating the fish.

“Are you hungry, Walsh?” Leia asked, “Or should we start calling you dad just in case.”

“No,” Walsh grunted, scratching at his legs fiercely, “I think your father would prefer it if you keep calling me Walsh and no thank you, I do not eat trout… for the hundredth time. But it’s fine. I’ll just wait to eat till breakfast. What are we having?”

“Trout,” they all answered.

“Come on,” Emma said, nudging her boyfriend, “It’s part of the experience!”

“Does the experience include getting eaten to death by mosquitos?” he complained, taking the little bottle in his hands and dabbing it on himself.

“Well you shouldn’t be if that’s working,” Emma frowned, “Let me see that…” She took the bottle from him and gave it a whiff, “You’re pretty much a walking meal for those guys. This is just sugar and water… you really got this from the store in Storybrooke?”

Walsh turned his head and glared at the girls, who simply looked down at their plates as they continued eating. 

“That’s it,” Walsh said, standing up, “I am taking a strong sleeping pill and going to bed.”

Before he left, he bent down and took Leia and Lizzie’s mother’s face in his hands and gave her a big kiss on her lips, causing the girls to cringe and put their plates down next to them.

“Goodnight everyone,” Walsh said, walking into his tent.

“Guys,” Emma spoke quietly, “Lay off Walsh, okay? This isn’t his thing. I’m not with him because he’s The Crocodile Hunter or something like that. So play fair.”

However, all these tricks were just child’s play compared to what was going to happen next. As the fire went out and moon was high in the sky, Emma and Walsh were both asleep in the dead of night, but Leia and Lizzie woke up just in time for the fun to start. 

They quietly opened up their tent and snuck over to Emma and Walsh’s tent.

“You remember the spell?” Leia asked Lizzie.

Lizzie nodded. They grabbed each other’s hands, closed their eyes. After taking a deep breath, a cloud of smoke appeared behind them and Walsh appeared, snoring loudly on his mattress, his head face down but his butt up in the air, causing both of them to suppress their giggles.

The each grabbed one string on either side of the mattress and pulled it into the water, until it was completely floating away from land.

“Sweet dreams, father dearest,” Leia laughed.

The last time they were this awful when using their magic was when they were using it against each other. They both had the same memories flood back into their minds and they turned to look at each other and pulled each other into a hug, watching the only threat to their family float gently far far away into the distance.

When morning arrived, Emma and the girls were both asleep. Walsh, however, had just woken up, feeling the warm sun on his face. It almost seemed like a fantasy until he woke up and found himself in the middle of the open water. He let out a cry  that shook the heavens and woke all three of them up. In fact, there wasn’t a living creature alive that didn’t stir at the sound of it.

Emma quickly saw that Walsh wasn’t beside her and opened the tent, groaning when she saw Walsh falling off the mattress and into the water. She immediately glared at the girls, who had no choice but to look guilty for all of this.

When Walsh finally swam to shore, he picked up a rock and threw it as hard as he could, then started kicking over some camping supplies by the fire pit, cursing under his breath.

“Walsh!” Emma shouted, “What the hell is going on?”

“Here’s what’s going on, sweetheart,” Walsh hissed, “The minute we get engaged, I am shipping those two little brats off to the farthest corner of the earth I can find along with their sorry excuse of a father. Got me? It’s either me or them. Take your pick.”

No question. Emma thought she had something to think about when she woke up this morning, but threatening her children was something Emma Swan would never tolerate with anyone.

“Them,” she said, without hesitation, almost smiling at herself.

“What!?” Walsh spat, “You’re picking THEM!?”

Emma looked between the girls and Walsh, noticing the joy that lit up her heart when she saw them smile and the pain and frustration she felt when she looked at Walsh.

“For sure,” Emma said, causing the girls to burst into giggles, “Have a nice life, Walsh.”

It didn’t take Walsh long at all to pack his things and leave up the mountain on his own. Of course, Emma didn’t really care whether he got lost or not. Nobody messes with her kids and gets away with it. When he was just out of sight, the three women used their magic to pack up camp and pop back into the truck, where they drove all the way back to Storybrooke. The girls were practically shaking with excitement to see their dad, especially now that mom was totally single.

Killian met them at the side of the road by the apartment.

“Back so soon?” Killian asked when Emma turned the car off.

“Dad!” Both girls shouted, jumping out of the car and running towards him.

“Did you lot have fun?” he asked, cradling both of his daughter’s heads.

“Well,” Leia said, in her own American accent, “I wouldn’t say it was ‘fun’.”

“Why not?” 

“We’ve been punished till the end of the century,” Lizzie said in her British accent.

“Starting now,” Emma said, slamming the car door shut.

“Where is Walsh?” Killian asked, frowning.

“Well… we may have pulled a couple of tricks on him,” Leia said bashfully, “and he kind of freaked out a little

“A little!?” Emma shouted, “A little is putting it lightly.”

“Emma,” Killian sighed, “I apologize, this is all my fault. If I hadn’t suggested he go-.”

“Tricked,” Emma scoffed, “Tricked is the word I would use, Captain. Like father, like daughters.”

“I truly am sorry,” Killian apologized.

“We are too, mum,” Lizzie said sweetly.

Emma frowned at them. “Up to the loft. Now.” Both girls sighed and walked into the lobby of the building, Emma and Killian following at a distance behind them. “You know… I actually gotta thank them one day.”

Killian looked back at Emma, finding it hard to hide that large grin forming on his face.

“So where’s Regina?” Emma asked, “Maybe we can get the gang back together and go get something to eat something at Granny’s... besides trout, of course.”

“Actually,” Killian grinned, “She and Robin went out for a picnic in the afternoon… yesterday.”

“Well, what do ya know,” Emma chuckled, 

“But… if you don’t mind, maybe I can take you up on that offer,” he said quietly, “We could go to Granny’s… like old times.”

Emma nodded, “I think that would be great… but just to be clear, those girls aren’t going out anywhere for a long,  _ long _ , time.”

“Right,” Killian chuckled.

That same night, Leia and Lizzie were sitting on Henry’s old bed up on the top level of the loft. Emma and Killian weren’t wearing anything special for a casual night out, but Emma insisted on checking on them before they went out.

“Your roll,” Lizzie said, holding two chips in her hand as Leia jumbled the dice in her hand. She gasped when she caught sight of her father, “Dad! You look smashing.”

Leia turned around and winked at her mother, “Mom, you look so rad.”

“Are you going anywhere special tonight?” Lizzie asked.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Emma teased.

Killian sighed as Emma giggled. “Goodnight ladies,” he said with a devilish grin as he led Emma down the stairs.

When they heard the door downstairs shut, both girls crossed their fingers tightly, hoping that this was probably the one chance they had to stay a family. It all depended on this one night.


	13. Chapter 13

It was pretty much a casual night at Granny’s. There weren’t too many people around, but there was enough to create a little noise in the place. It was strange how coming back here for a night out alone felt just like old times, only Henry would be at the counter trying to figure out the next mystery in town or someone would burst in and beg for their help. 

After eating, they took a little stroll out at night, walking arm and arm. Their conversation was so much fun that they hadn’t even realized they were at the boathouse at the edge of town.

“Wow, I didn’t think we had walked this far,” Emma said, when she caught sight of the ocean in front of her.

Killian looked around, then took her hand, leading her into the boathouse. “Do you remember this?” he asked, “When you saved Henry from one of those magical threats?”

“Yeah…” she nodded, “as I recall, you tried to help, but I didn’t trust you at the time.”

“Not three days later, you finally started to,” he reminded her, stepping closer to her.

Her heart was racing just a little bit too fast for her liking, so she cleared her throat and started walking around. “So I hear you pretty much collect boats? One of the girls mentioned it on the way back from the trip.”

“Aye,” Killian answered, “I keep them in the company boathouse… I only ever rent them out, though. Each one comes with its own special story.”

“Like what?”

“Well there’s Charlotte, the first ship I sailed with Lizzie when she was five. Then there’s Scarlett, the first ship Lizzie ever sailed on her own. Of course, we can’t forget Elizabeth. I named our strongest and sturdiest ship after my daughter, naturally. and then there’s… Leia.”

“You named a ship after her?” Emma asked, stars beginning to form in her eyes.

“Aye, of course,” he answered, “My own personal ship. No one has ever set foot on it, not even Lizzie knows it exists. It’s truly… all I had of her after all these years.” They both sighed, Emma recognizing the feeling of separation he must have felt from Leia. It was no different than the feeling she felt like a hole in her heart without Lizzie. He cleared his throat, “And then, of course, there’s Emma.”

“Emma?” she asked, “What’s that one?”

“Aye… she’s… one of our most popular boats. By far the most beautiful and luxurious ship I own,” he said quietly, then stepped closer to her, “That was… the boat that hosted our wedding.”

“Maybe…” Emma said softly, “One day, when we’re all back together again… we could sail one of those ships together.”

Killian grinned, “Aye, Swan. That would be nice.”  
Emma breathed and felt herself doing the one thing she feared she would do if she ever saw Killian again; she’d fall in love with him all over again. She did say that if he didn’t frustrate her so much, she’d still be married to him. Now that they were back, in the birthplace of their love and their marriage, not to mention their beautiful children, it was hitting her like a sack of nickles to the face. She blinked several times, looking away from him to hide her tears.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“Yes…” she nodded, “I think I just got something in my eye, that’s all.”

“May I be of assistance?”

“No…” she sniffed, “I’m fine…”

Killian took his hand and placed it on her chin, adjusting her face so she looked at him. “You know, you needn’t be so brave all the time…”

“But I do,” she argued.

Even though she argued against him most of time in their marriage, her confidence and bravery was the thing that attracted him to her the most. Their foreheads were pressed together. Just one little motion forward would close the distance between them. But the sound of a boat engine came in, shining a light toward the boathouse. They could hear the sounds of Regina and Robin, laughing and talking as they turned off the boat and walked off.

“That’s Regina,” Emma whispered.

“Let them pass,” Killian whispered back.

That’s when Emma remembered the real world; the life she had in New York with her grandparents and children. Leia had so much to do this year if she wanted to get into a good school and she needed to focus instead of worrying about switching schools or her sister doing the same in order to make this work. Emma backed away from Killian, shaking her head. That’s all he needed to see, all he needed as his last push out the door. 

So the next morning, Killian was hugging Leia tightly, saying her goodbyes, as Emma had Lizzie. Leia could already feel her heart breaking when she looked and saw her sister turn around with tears in her eyes. Of course, Leia was already crying.

“Bloody hell…” Lizzie sniffed, walking up to Leia, “Stop crying, you fool.”

“I can’t,” Leia sobbed, “You know I can’t.”

“I was talking to myself,” Lizzie said, nearly making the two of them choke out a laugh.

They ran into each other’s arms and hugged each other tightly, both of them sobbing into each other’s shoulders. Killian and Emma both watched this, sadly wishing that things didn’t have to be this complicated.

Leia and Lizzie grabbed hands as they walked out into the dreary morning towards Emma’s bug. Killian stepped to Emma, stopping her just before she walked out.

“Take care of yourself, Emma,” he whispered.

Emma looked at him and pressed her lips together, wanting to tell him something she shouldn’t have. “You too…”

He hesitated doing this, but realized this would probably be his only chance. He leaned down and kissed her forehead, which felt like a scar he was leaving on her skin permanently. There was no way she could ever forget him now. Emma walked to the driver’s seat of the car and gave Lizzie one big hug.

“Love you, kid,” she whispered in her daughter’s hair.

“I love you too, mum,” Lizzie whispered back.

When Emma closed the door, Lizzie ran into her father’s embrace, watching the yellow bug drive off until it was completely out of sight.

“Why, look at you, sailor,” Killian said, wiping away one of Lizzie’s tears, “You’re a bloody mess. I thought you only cried on occasion.”  
“Is watching my mum and sister leave not an occasion to cry?” Lizzie asked, resting her head on her father’s shoulder.

Killian grinned and kissed her daughter’s forehead, rubbing her back to assure her that everything was going to be fine. Soon, they got into their own car, Robin and Roland staying behind to spend more time with Regina and Henry. As Killian drove towards the town line, he stared ahead in the road in front of him, seeing absolutely nothing but regret.  


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy ONCE Finale everyone!! This is the VERY last chapter :( There has been a lot of drama going on while posting this, but I have to say that the supporters of this story on this network have been nothing but fabulous and wonderful and encouraging. So without further ado, the last chapter

The yellow bug parked in the underground parking structure once again and Leia took that familiar stinky elevator to the outside, where it was raining cats and dogs. After a very long and depressing drive, Leia pressed the elevator button rapidly, wanting to get back home for the first time since the beginning of the Summer. When they got into the apartment, they dropped all of their umbrellas and jackets on the hanger by the door.

“Hey!” Emma called, “We’re home!”

“Grandma? Grandpa?” Leia called, “Tell me you’ve got cannolis.”

Leia’s first destination was the kitchen, a sight that warmed Emma’s heart to see. She sighed and walked into the living room and saw the revolving arm chair facing the window. She knew her parents always liked to look out the window at the city, especially when it looked so beautiful in the rain.

“Hey stranger,” Emma chimed.

The revolving chair spun around and revealed Lizzie sitting there with her legs crossed.

“Hey mum,” Lizzie said plainly, “Did you know if you speed on the highway and  take I-278 past New Rochelle, you’ll save about an hour off your trip rather than just going through Manhattan?”

“Well… yeah,” Emma said, a little freaked out, “I have heard that…”

Leia, her mouth filled with cannolis, entered into the living room. “What are you doing here?” she asked with utter delight.

“It took us about 30 seconds after we crossed the town line to realize that we didn’t want to lose you guys again,” Lizzie explained.

Emma breathed, not really sure what to say, but then she frowned, “We?”

Lizzie grinned and looked over to the side, where Killian emerged from Leia’s room. “We…” Emma was completely and utterly stunned. “I made the mistake of not coming after you once, Emma… I’m not gonna do that no matter how brave you are.”

Emma shook her head. “And… I guess you just want me to fall weak at the knees and fall into your arms with my heart re-opened again after all these years and just say that we’re going to figure this whole thing out with living in two different places and our daughters being raised here and there with little to no time left before they go off into the world on their own… and you and I just…” She started to lose her breath as Killian walked closer to her, “just picking up right where we left off… and… and growing old together… and…” Emma scoffed as he started to smile, “Really, Killian? Is that what you expect? To live happily ever after?”

“For sure,” Killian answered, taking the love of his life in his arms, “To all of it…” He noticed the tears falling down her face and wiped away just one of the many that would come, “Only you forgot to mention crying hysterically.”

Emma nodded. “Oh yeah… that.”

Finally, the distance was broken between them and they kissed, Emma crying as she actually felt something totally and 100% right. Her girls were here, together, and they loved each other. They were beautiful and smart and tricky and clever just like their parents. They were perfect. Emma and Killian’s true love made, not only one perfect thing, but two identical perfect things; two daughters. There was certainly something they got from their mother; they were saviors, the saviors of their family. Leia and Lizzie’s hearts were full as they saw their parents hug and smile at each other, looking completely and madly in love with each other like they were in that wedding picture. Leia, obviously, was standing there, cannolis in hand, crying just as hard as her mother. It was probably the happiest moment of her life.

“Lizzie…” Leia sobbed, “I think I peaked.”

Lizzie got up and laughed, running over to her sister and hugging her, squealing with delight. “Leia... we actually did it.”

The Swan-Jones wedding took place on the Jolly Roger, for real this time. Leia and Lizzie were the stunning maids of honor. Mary-Margaret and David were there as well as Robin, with Regina as her date. Even Travis and Rosie showed up to show their support. Travis asked Leia to dance, which resulted in a hilarious wedding photo of Killian watching close by in the back while Travis and Leia were smiling at each other. But the biggest surprise of the night was Robin proposing to Regina. 

As for the future, the family ditched New York, in order to get some distance between the girls and Walsh. Leia enrolled in school with Lizzie, confusing pretty much everyone who crossed their path down the hallway. They both got into the same college in Boston, but ended up living in two separate dorms on opposite sides of the campus, majoring in two completely different fields, so seeing each other was a rare, yet welcome, occurrence. Meanwhile, Killian and Emma moved happily into a new home by the sea, right next to Straight Wharf, which made Leia always happy to come home. Emma was immediately hired by the law enforcement department and was sheriff of the island within a matter of months. Killian turned down the offer in London and kept his business local, like it always should be. Robin and Regina got married and stayed in the mayor’s house in Storybrooke, where Mary-Margaret and David lived in their old loft. Even though Emma thought it seemed a little ridiculous at the time when she said it, she and her husband and their twin daughters and their family and the cat, Peter Pan, really did live happily ever after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for your support! I greatly appreciate each and every one of you <3


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